IPL 2025, RCB vs RR: They chanted his name in the stands long after the final ball was bowled at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. That is not unusual at a Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) game, except this time, it was not for a batter. It was Josh Hazlewood’s name echoing in the stands on Thursday (April 24), a rare post-match ovation for a bowler.
Hazlewood, a proven all-format star, was the hero of a come-from-behind win, RCB’s first home win of the season. His 4 for 33 helped restrict Rajasthan Royals (RR) to 194 for 9 after RCB put on 205 for 5.
He got a rampaging Yashasvi Jaiswal (49 off 19) in the powerplay, dismissed a marauding Dhruv Jurel (47 off 34) at the death, and claimed Shimron Hetmyer and Jofra Archer too.
He now shares the top spot on the IPL 2025 wickets chart with Prasidh Krishna, both on 16 wickets.
Hazelwood’s spell at the death
Hazlewood’s first battle of the day was against Jaiswal. One sharply rising delivery floored the opener early on, but Jaiswal bounced back with a flurry of boundaries.
In the last over of the powerplay, Hazlewood went around the wicket, got one to climb awkwardly, and had Jaiswal caught in the circle.
Hazlewood came back at the death when Rajasthan needed 46 off 24. First, he conceded just six runs and removed Hetmyer. Then came the penultimate over- Royals needed 18 off 12. Hazlewood gave just one run and took two wickets.
“He’s a class operator, he’s a world-class bowler. He is great under pressure in any format of the game,” RCB coach Andy Flower said after the game.
“He thinks clearly, and he’s got great skill. I know he’s known for his heavy length bowling, but he’s got some great all-round skills. He mixes in those yorkers, wide yorkers, slower balls – and he seems to know what type of ball to bowl at the right time.”
Hazlewood’s strength lies in knowing what to bowl and when. “I think first of all it was just sticking to your strengths,” Hazlewood said while receiving the Player of the Match award. “Knew that on the wicket that hard length was still hard to hit, so I just about mixing it up with the odd yorker, the odd bouncer, changes of pace. Normal stuff, it was just the order in which you apply those balls.”
Part of a bowler’s skill lies in reading the batter, anticipating what they will be least comfortable facing. In his entire career, but particularly in IPL 2025, Hazlewood has shown a mastery at that. His ability to hit the same spot at a good pace and get awkward bounce is well-known, but that alone does not bring sustained T20 success.
His sustained success, especially in IPL 2025, shows not just skill but sharp game awareness. He reads the batter, varies his lengths and pace and delivers under pressure- a masterclass.
“He’s a class operator, he’s a world-class bowler. He is great under pressure in any format of the game,” RCB coach Andy Flower said after the game. “He thinks clearly and he’s got great skill. I know he’s known for his heavy length bowling, but he’s got some great all-round skills. He mixes in those yorkers, wide yorkers, slower balls – and he seems to know what type of ball to bowl at the right time.”
Knowing which ball to bowl at what time is a key part of Hazlewood’s skill. “I think first of all it was just sticking to your strengths,” Hazlewood said while receiving the Player of the Match award. “Knew that on the wicket that hard length was still hard to hit, so I just about mixing it up with the odd yorker, the odd bouncer, changes of pace. Normal stuff, it was just the order in which you apply those balls.”
The journey to RCB, via CSK and Sixers
For much of his cricket career, Hazlewood prioritised Test cricket, playing limited T20s to manage his body. But once he started playing the shortest format regularly, Hazlewood showed he could dominate it too.
“For a lot of years there, I didn’t quite have the opportunity with Test cricket taking preference, and ODI cricket,” he said, reflecting on his development in T20s.
“So once again, the opportunity – there’s a range of teams: Sydney Sixers, Chennai Super Kings and RCB here for a number of years now. They’re probably the main ones. Obviously for Australia (too). Taking pieces of information from different people in different conditions and trying to put it all together and perform,” he added.
Hazlewood started his IPL journey with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2020 and 2021. Since IPL 2022, though, he’s been an RCB man. And given how he’s been performing for them, he’s likely to remain so. Those chants at the Chinnaswamy will ring out again.