Josh Hazlewood Shines in RCB's IPL 2025 Opener Against KKR

Hazlewood's Impactful Bowling Performance

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], March 23: In the opening match of the IPL 2025, Josh Hazlewood delivered an outstanding performance for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), putting Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on the defensive. Leading the pace attack, Hazlewood took two wickets for just 22 runs, making a significant impact as reported by ESPNcricinfo.

His bowling was not only about taking wickets; he dismissed Quinton de Kock early and later claimed Harshit Rana's wicket, showcasing exceptional control over his line and length. Hazlewood bowled 16 dot balls and maintained an impressive economy rate of 5.50, establishing himself as the standout fast bowler of the match. His strategy involved primarily short and short-of-good-length deliveries, rarely pitching the ball up.

After the game, Hazlewood explained that his choice to focus on shorter lengths was influenced by the pitch conditions. With the surface covered for nearly two days, he anticipated moisture that would complement his bowling style. This approach led to KKR struggling early on, managing only nine runs in the first three overs.

“It was more based on pitch and conditions,” Hazlewood stated during the post-match press conference, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. “The full ball probably wasn’t going to do as much unless you were searching for swing. I found that it was sort of sticking in the wicket a little and the bounce was quite good. I enjoy bowling here at Eden Gardens, and we just stuck to our lengths,” he added.

Discussing his strategy against Quinton de Kock, Hazlewood noted, “I’ve bowled quite a lot to him in all formats. He is a very dangerous player, so it’s better to keep it simple and really tight. I know I went a little wide to him and he hit me for four. The plan was to avoid going too full or too short, really sticking to those hard lengths. If he makes something off that length for four or six, then that’s just a good shot. So yeah, sticking to my strengths, definitely.”

On Sunil Narine, Hazlewood remarked, “When the wicket has good bounce, that’s helpful for the bowlers. He’s a powerful powerplay batter and always looks to score quickly. So keeping him quiet was very handy.”

Despite aggressive innings from Ajinkya Rahane and Sunil Narine, KKR could only muster a total of 174. Hazlewood credited RCB’s cohesive bowling effort for this, highlighting Krunal Pandya’s three-wicket haul and Suyash Sharma’s crucial dismissal of Andre Russell as pivotal moments. KKR’s inability to score in the final overs, adding just 23 runs in the last four, proved detrimental.

“We would have had to bowl a little differently at the end if we didn’t take those wickets through the middle,” Hazlewood noted, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. “But KP [Krunal] bowled beautifully through the middle. Luckily, I got to bowl to sort of the tail towards the end, but I think the hard lengths work best here most of the time,” he added.

Hazlewood emphasized the importance of team discussions in their bowling strategy, stating, “In our bowlers’ meetings, there’s typically someone in the room who has played a lot of cricket at those grounds. They share their experiences on what works well for them, making it a collaborative effort among the bowling group and coaches.”

Returning to RCB after missing the 2024 IPL season, Hazlewood was the team’s most expensive auction pick at INR 12.50 crore (approximately USD 1.49 million). He mentioned that despite RCB’s previous four-match losing streak against KKR, the team, featuring six new players in the lineup, was not burdened by past results. He praised the 95-run opening partnership between Phil Salt and Virat Kohli, which laid the groundwork for RCB’s successful chase.

“It’s a positive influence – fresh people, fresh mindset, I think it’s big,” Hazlewood said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. “You mention the last four losses to KKR, but I don’t think anyone in the room would have known that because we gave about six caps before the game started. That’s like a fresh start almost,” he added.

“It’s a new cycle in the IPL, but those fresh players – Salt being one of them – played outstandingly. Tonight, the opening partnership really set up the chase for us. It was not a huge score, but still a decent total, so to get us off to that start was crucial,” he noted.

Addressing fitness concerns following a calf injury, Hazlewood reassured that bowling four T20 overs does not overly strain his body. He anticipates becoming stronger as the tournament progresses.

“I feel like I got through the game very well. I know the intensity is high, but it’s only four overs. I believe I’ll just keep building throughout the tournament, and this is probably the freshest I’ve been in a long time. I’ve done a lot of work off the field to get back to this point, which was tough, but I think I am mentally and physically refreshed,” he concluded.