HazleGOD – That was the name bestowed upon Josh Hazlewood after the Australian fast bowler guided the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL). During the two months, Hazlewood reached a level that perhaps only Jasprit Bumrah could match.
Josh Hazlewood’s wizardry in 2025
Sure, Bumrah was way ahead in terms of economy, but it was Hazlewood’s ability to get early wickets that separated him from every other bowler. He didn’t end up winning the purple cap, which was primarily due to him missing a few matches, but the impact he created was immense.
Josh Hazlewood bowling stats in IPL 2025
MatchesOversWicketsBestFiguresAverageEconomyStrikeRate1244.0224/3317.548.7712.00The ability to open up the game in the powerplay was why RCB found themselves on top of the opposition time and again. One can easily say that RCB had never had a fast bowler like him before. Defending their IPL title, Bengaluru needed him. But injury had forced Hazlewood out.
Nuwan Thusara, his potential replacement, was injured as well. RCB had already picked up another tall fast bowler at the IPL 2026 auction, fearing that Hazlewood would not be available. But how could he have a similar impact? One had to consider that Hazlewood had an all-timer of a season.
Cricket 4 mins RCB vs SRH Live Score, IPL 2026: Hyderabad 105/3 (12 ovs), Ishan Kishan hits fiftyWhy fear? Jacob Duffy is here
Guess what? Hazlewood’s replacement, New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy, has not only replicated that but perhaps one-upped the Australian quick. Making his IPL and RCB debut, Duffy finished with the figures of 22/3 in his 4 overs against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). An excellent operator of the new ball, the Kiwi pacer was handed the ball over by Bhuvneshwar Kumar by captain Rajat Patidar.
What a way to announce your arrival in the #TATAIPL! #RCB fans, how would you rate Jacob Duffy's fiery debut start in the powerplay? Updates t.co/Eo5z0jh4K4 #KhelBindaas | #RCBvSRH | @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/83xl62EnDO
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 28, 2026He started with a tight first over; just 7 came off it. But it was his second over that changed it all. Realising the ball wasn’t swinging now, he banged it short and got both SRH openers, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, out while they attempted to pull.
The new ball was zipping after pitching, perhaps due to the fact that the M Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch was fresh, as it hadn’t hosted a match since the last IPL season. Duffy banged it short, and it worked wonders. Bhuvneshwar kept it tight from the other end and let Duffy do his bidding.
In his third over, Duffy made Nitish Kumar Reddy his victim. Again, it was a delivery on the shorter side that hurried the batter. SRH were 29/3 in just 4.2 overs. The game was in RCB’s pocket. Knowing Duffy can completely kill it, Patidar gave another over to the Kiwi. Another tight over saw him bowl out in the 7th over. Once the ball got old, SRH batters were bound to succeed, but the damage was done, and now RCB just had to keep them within distance.
Perfect replacement for Hazlewood
During the first innings, RCB batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik was asked about Duffy and his performance by the commentators. The former wicketkeeper shared that the management felt Duffy was the best possible available replacement for Hazlewood. This suggests getting him at INR 2 crore at the IPL 2026 auction was nothing short of a steal for RCB.
“Duffy is a very disciplined bowler with a strong pedigree. He consistently hits the right areas and maintains tight lines. His style and approach are quite similar to Josh Hazlewood,” Karthik said on JioStar.
No Josh Hazlewood, no problem! RCB find new hero in Jacob Duffy in IPL 2026 opener Inside Sport India.
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