Australia T20 captain Mitchell Marsh has been cleared to join the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL as a batter-only after recovering from a “lower back pain and dysfunction” injury. Marsh, who missed the Champions Trophy, will travel to join his new team on March 18 and play as an impact player. Previously, he had struggled with injuries during the IPL, including a hamstring issue last season. Other Australian players, including Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood, are also expected to be fit for the IPL after missing the Champions Trophy due to injuries, prioritizing the tournament over the Sheffield Shield.
Australia’s T20 captain Mitchell Marsh has received clearance to participate in the IPL for his new team, Lucknow Super Giants, as a batter-only. He is expected to travel early next week, despite missing the Champions Trophy due to a back injury.
Marsh, 33, was ruled out of the ODI tour to Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy on January 31 due to “lower back pain and dysfunction,” which ended his domestic season. This issue was believed to be related to a disc problem he has been managing since the limited overs tour of the UK in September 2024.
After consulting a back specialist in early February, Marsh underwent a period of rest to address the issue. Recently, he has resumed batting and has been cleared to play in the IPL for LSG as a batter-only. He is poised to serve as an impact player at the top of the order for his new franchise after being acquired for $US400,000 at the IPL Auction last year. Marsh is anticipated to join LSG’s squad on March 18 and reunite with his former Australia, Western Australia, and Perth Scorchers coach, Justin Langer, who is entering his second season as LSG’s head coach.
Marsh has not participated in a game since playing for the BBL’s Perth Scorchers on January 7. He rested for the Scorchers’ final two matches of the BBL season thereafter. That match was his only appearance following his omission from Australia’s Test team before the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar series. Before that BBL match, Marsh’s last white-ball appearances were during the T20I and ODI tour of the UK in September.
Over the last three IPL seasons, Marsh has played for Delhi Capitals but has encountered significant injury problems. He sustained a hamstring injury in last year’s IPL after just four matches and had to return home to rehabilitate before leading Australia in the T20 World Cup. He has previously played for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rising Pune Supergiants, Pune Warriors, and Deccan Chargers.
Meanwhile, Marsh’s Australia teammates Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood are all expected to be fit for the IPL after also missing the Champions Trophy due to various issues.
Cummins told ESPNCricinfo last month that his ankle has regained strength after flaring up following the Border-Gavaskar series and is set to captain SRH once again.
Starc also dealt with an ankle niggle during the two-Test series against Sri Lanka but is set to participate in the IPL after missing the Champions Trophy. This season, Starc will join Delhi Capitals, having been acquired at the auction for $US1.4 million, after being named player of the match in last year’s final for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Hazlewood commanded the highest price of any Australian at the auction after missing last season, having been bought by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for $US1.49 million. Hazlewood has faced the most durability issues of the three, dealing with side and calf injuries this summer, the latter of which developed into a hip issue that caused him to miss the Champions Trophy.
All of Australia’s other IPL players are expected to prioritize the tournament over the Sheffield Shield, even though five states remain in contention for a spot in the Shield final. Last season, Matthew Wade chose to compete in the Shield final for Tasmania and missed the start of Gujarat Titans’ campaign. However, South Australians Travis Head (Sunrisers), Jake Fraser-McGurk (Capitals), and Spencer Johnson (KKR) are all headed to the IPL, despite South Australia already qualifying for the Shield final scheduled to begin on March 26. Xavier Bartlett, Josh Inglis, and Aaron Hardie will be heading to Punjab Kings to play under Ricky Ponting and will not represent their respective states, Queensland or Western Australia, in either the last Shield round, which begins on Saturday, or the final if their team qualifies.
