The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) may have to play the rest of the competition without their great bowler Josh Hazlewood as the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is scheduled to resume on Saturday, May 17. With 18 wickets in 10 games, he is RCB’s top wicket-taker so far this season.
Hazlewood had to skip RCB’s last home encounter against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) owing to a shoulder injury, and with the ICC World Test Championship final against South Africa beginning on June 10, it appears doubtful that the speedster will return to India for the remainder of the IPL.
He has taken wickets at any point during the innings and has changed the game for RCB this season. He has demonstrated his abilities in the middle overs and as a wicket-taking option in the closing stages in addition to his skill with the new ball. Given their performance thus far in the season, RCB shouldn’t suffer a significant loss, even with Hazlewood’s outstanding tournament run.
Here are three possible reasons why RCB should not be concerned if Josh Hazlewood is declared out for the balance of the IPL 2025:
1. RCB’s Bowling Remains Sharp Despite Hazlewood’s Absence
Yash Dayal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, for example, have been a great compliment to Hazlewood, who has been playing at his best. Dayal has extracted seam movement and struck the deck similarly to Hazlewood. Despite taking less wickets than he should have, he has excelled under duress.
Dayal orchestrated an incredible triumph by bowling an outstanding final over against the Chennai Super Kings. In the meantime, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has taken 12 wickets in 10 games this season, further redefining himself. Even Krunal Pandya’s spin department has performed admirably.
In 11 games thus far, the left-arm spinner has claimed 14 wickets and made breakthroughs when his team needed them. In the meantime, Suyash Sharma has been a fantastic match to him. Although the leggie hasn’t exactly contributed to the wicket total, RCB has been able to maintain control of the game in the middle overs thanks to his economy rate of 8.25.
2. RCB Boast Impressive Bowling Bench Strength in IPL 2025
Josh Hazlewood had to be ruled out of the game against the Chennai Super Kings, but that didn’t stop the RCB from having a famous win. Lungi Ngidi came in for the replacement of Hazlewood, and the South African pacer didn’t fail.
In a game where both teams scored more than 200 runs, Ngidi performed admirably with both the old and new balls. He took three vital wickets, and the two he took in his last over gave the RCB the victory. He contributed to RCB’s two-run victory with final numbers of 3/30.
Despite Hazlewood’s absence, Ngidi performed admirably, so they shouldn’t be too concerned if the Australian bowler doesn’t return for the rest of the competition. On Saturday, May 17, RCB will play the Kolkata Knight Riders.
3. RCB’s Red-Hot Form Fueled by All-Round Team Effort
In the current IPL season, RCB seemed to have everything covered. Their batting lineup has always had a big impact, even though their bowling team has performed well. One of the best run producers has been Virat Kohli at the top of the order, who has had strong support from Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell.
Despite occasional lapses by the middle order, the top order has made sure that the middle overs have gone smoothly overall. In one of the games, Krunal Pandya also batted, while players like Tim David and Romario Shepherd also performed admirably.
In the match against CSK, Shepherd scored an incredible 52 off just 14 deliveries, and David has performed well whenever he has had the chance. Should the necessity arise, RCB’s batters are capable of compensating for Hazlewood’s absence.
