Will CSK pacer Nathan Ellis play IPL 2026 after Hamstring Injury ruling him out of BBL Finals?

Hobart Hurricanes captain Nathan Ellis will miss the remainder of the Big Bash League season after sustaining a hamstring injury during a match against Brisbane Heat.

The injury sidelines the pace bowler, who was the team's leading wicket-taker with 14 scalps in nine games. Ellis initially aimed for a quick return but failed to recover in time for knockout stages, confirming his exclusion from finals on January 22. The hamstring tightness also rules him out of Australia's T20I series in Pakistan, compounding national team concerns ahead of the T20 World Cup in February-March.

Cricket Australia has firmly noted that the pacer remains in the plans for the T20 World Cup, which starts from February 7. But after getting ruled out from the BBL finals,

his fitness is being closely monitored. He has further compounded Australia's injury issues as Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood all are not fully fit before the T20 World Cup.

Australia T20 WC 2026 Squad

Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

Will Nathan Ellis miss IPL 2026 for CSK?

Chennai Super Kings signed Ellis as a key overseas pacer for IPL 2026, valuing his death-over expertise from prior seasons. He was bought for Rs 2 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction. Although Ellis played just one match last year, he is expected to play a bigger role this term, especially after his retention by the franchise.

With IPL typically starting late March, CSK has about two months to assess his fitness amid their reliance on his variations alongside domestic quicks. A hamstring injury generally has a recovery period of 2-6 weeks. Although Ellis' extent of the injury is unknown, the Australian pacer may be ruled out for a month. Even if Ellis' injury is a big one, he may return by late March, enabling full IPL participation post a cautious workload management by CSK.