Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s star pacer Josh Hazlewood is likely to make his season debut in their upcoming game on Sunday. The defending champions will be up against the Chennai Super Kings in their second game of the IPL 2026 at home, M Chinnaswamy Stadium. As per reports, Hazlewood’s health was monitored for over a week and the Bengaluru-based franchise is seriously considering his inclusion in the Southern-Derby on Sunday.
Per reports, the Aussie sweated it out during the net session, where he tentatively with a short run-up. After that, gradually he stepped up the pace. Finally, he completed his run-up and bowled for almost an hour. At first, he avoided bowling bouncers. Rather, his focus was on fuller and good lengths. But gradually he began testing himself with those famous back-of-a-length deliveries.
Though the session was good, nothing definite has been decided. Some reports say that RCB is closely monitoring his health. He might be fit enough to play against CSK. However, there is no confirmation yet. Even if he has some pain, the team might keep him on the sidelines. Then the game against Rajasthan Royals at Guwahati becomes more realistic. They seem cautious rather than desperate.
Impact of Hazlewood’s return on RCB
The bowlers at RCB have certainly missed him. They even lacked an edge in the match where they beat SRH. Hazlewood can add discipline to the team’s bowling. When playing against a strong CSK line-up, this becomes all the more important. The lack of such players might give the opposition a chance to take the attack on two or three certain bowlers.
Notably, In 39 IPL games, Hazlewood has recorded 57 wickets with the average of 20.98, with the best bowling figures of 4/25, as well as the economy rate of 8.28. In the last season, which ended with a maiden-title for RCB, Hazlewood took 22 wickets to his name.
