Australia pacer Jason Behrendorff faces a race against time to be fit for this year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup after he broke his leg at training.

Behrendorff was preparing for a stint in the Indian Premier League with the Mumbai Indians, but has since been ruled out of that tournament with a fractured left fibula and faces eight weeks on the sidelines.

It means Behrendorff will be battling to prove his fitness prior to the T20 World Cup, with Australia having to submit their final 15-player squad to the ICC before the tournament.

While Behrendorff has only played 17 T20Is for his country, the left-armer has impressed over the last six months during series against India on the sub-continent and the West Indies at home.

The 33-year-old was Australia's leading wicket-taker during the five-match series against India at the end of last year and then collected a wicket in each match against the Caribbean side on home soil last month.

While the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins are expected to spearhead Australia's pace attack at the T20 World Cup, Behrendorff would have been in contention to make the trip prior to this setback on the basis of his good recent form.