2 min readUpdated: Apr 28, 2026 08:00 AM IST
When Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) acquired Josh Hazlewood for Rs 12.5 crore at the mega auction in November 2024, they knew they were getting a three-dimensional bowler who could be effective across all phases in an innings.
On Monday, the Australian showed his prowess with the new ball, ripping the heart out of the Delhi Capitals’ (DC) top-order by claiming 4/12 in 3.3 overs and helping RCB bowl DC out for a mere 75 runs.
Hazlewood was supported by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took 3/5 in three overs, and he admitted to having followed the Indian’s lead after being adjudged the Player of the Match for his spell.
“It feels like Bhuvi, and I have been pretty close to producing a really good powerplay. So yeah, I just followed his lead basically again and, yeah, what happened, happened, so it was a great result,” Hazlewood said in the post-match presentation.
RCB won each of seven away matches last season, and Hazlewood felt that, as a unit, they had picked up from where they had left off in IPL 2025.
“Yeah, I think we’ve just picked up from where we left off last year. I felt like, in particular in our away games, we summed up conditions nicely, nice and quickly, whether we batted or bowled first, and adapted our games accordingly. So we really went on a bit of a streak towards the back-end of last year and it feels like we’re sort of hitting our straps now at the right time of the tournament, I think,” the Australian said.
As Axar Patel and Rajat Patidar had admitted before him, Hazlewood too expressed surprise at the bowler-friendly nature of the surface at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday, especially after 529 runs were scored there on Saturday.
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“Yeah, I think, probably turning up here after 500-plus runs last game, probably weren’t expecting what happened,” he said.
RCB next take on Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
