Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Josh Hazlewood has been contributing well to RCB’s ongoing success in the IPL 2026. RCB is at the No. 1 spot on the points table with 8 wins from 12 games and 16 points, needing just one win from their last two games to qualify for the playoffs.
Josh Hazlewood has taken 11 wickets in 9 games in IPL 2026 with an economy of 9.21. On the other hand, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has 22 wickets to his name with an economy of 7.55. Their combo has been more than a handful, and on bowling-friendly decks, they have been bad dreams for batters.
The tall Australian pacer believes that bowling with Bhuvneshwar thus far has been like bowling with his national skipper Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, one of the best left-arm quicks the game has ever seen, which can only be regarded as the ultimate compliment.
"It's a little bit like bowling with Patty [Pat Cummins] and Starcy [Mitchell Starc] for Australia. Bhuvi probably pitches it up a little more and swings the ball. I can hit the seam and get a bit of bounce. It's nice to have balance in your attack. Last year and this year we've had a nice mix," Hazlewood was quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Hazlewood, who is only five wickets away from reaching 300 Test wickets, talks about how fulfilling it is to create a recovery after initially conceding runs. Every champion bowler will agree with that.
"If you're bowling on a flat wicket and go for 2 for 40 while everyone else goes for 50 or 60, I think those are the satisfying games. When things are going your way, like the Delhi game this year with Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] and me, it's honestly not that difficult. You're just bowling good balls, and you've earned that momentum.
But when the batting side is dominant and your first over goes for 20, and then you fight back with yorkers or changes of pace and finish with decent figures, those are the games I'm probably most proud of," Hazlewood explained.
Additionally, Hazlewood made a statement that will satisfy everyone involved in selecting the team for the 2026 campaign.
"We don't have Yash [Dayal] this year with the left-arm angle, but Rasikh [Salam] has stepped into that role nicely. Then we've got a legspinner [Suyash Sharma] and a left-arm spinner [Krunal Pandya]. It feels a bit like Australia—every base is covered. If you've got three bowlers of the same style, the batter can get a pretty good read on what's happening. Different skills and different styles make it harder," Hazlewood stated.
RCB will face PBKS in Dharamshala on May 17, 2026.
