Much to the delight of their massive and loyal fanbase, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have begun their IPL 2025 campaign in dominant fashion, winning their opening two games with commanding performances. At the heart of their success has been Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, whose exceptional bowling spells in Kolkata and Chennai have provided the spark that RCB desperately needed in the early stages of their campaign. Returning after an extended injury-ridden period, Hazlewood, once branded a Test specialist, has been a game-changer, making an immediate impact with his control, bounce, and accuracy.
RCB kicked off their campaign at Eden Gardens against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), a team that had historically troubled them, especially at the Eden Gardens. But bowing first, Hazlewood set the tone for the season, suffocating KKR’s batting line-up with a clinical spell of 2 for 22 in four overs. He removed Quinton de Kock early in his opening spell, denying KKR a strong start and later dismissed Harshit Rana in the death overs to keep the opposition in check.
Beyond the wickets, what truly stood out was his precision — 16 dot balls, an economy rate of just 5.50 and an unwavering discipline in length selection. He relied on short-of-a-good-length deliveries to extract bounce and trouble batters, a strategy that worked to perfection on a surface that had been under covers for two days due to the rainy weather.
Hazlewood, who returned to RCB as their most expensive auction.
