He has taken 18 wickets in 10 matches so far and is currently third in the Purple Cap race.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is expected to start again soon, according to reports. But Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have a big problem to deal with before their next matches. Josh Hazlewood, the Australian fast bowler who has been RCB’s best bowler this season, is likely to miss the rest of the tournament because of a shoulder injury.
He had already missed RCB’s last match against Chennai Super Kings on May 3 and was not expected to play the May 9 game against Lucknow Super Giants before the tournament was stopped.
The IPL was put on hold because of rising tension between India and Pakistan. But now that both countries have reached an agreement, the BCCI has reportedly asked all teams to get ready and report to their match venues by Tuesday, May 13, as the league is about to restart.
RCB are doing well in the points table. They only need to win one of their last three matches to qualify for the playoffs. If they win two games, they will likely finish in the top two, which gives them an extra chance in the knockout stage. But they may have to play these important games without Hazlewood, which will weaken their bowling attack.
Since Hazlewood is expected to stay in Australia to recover and prepare for the World Test Championship final, RCB have to find a new bowling plan and make changes to their team before the league resumes.
Josh Hazlewood has been RCB’s best bowler and also one of the top bowlers in the IPL this season. He has taken 18 wickets in 10 matches so far and is currently third in the Purple Cap race. His economy rate is also good at 8.44.
He has taken four wickets in one match, three wickets in two matches, and two wickets in three matches. He did not get any wickets in only two games. In all the other matches, he took at least one wicket.
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It will be very hard for RCB to replace Josh Hazlewood this season because he has performed well and made a big difference in their bowling. However, they do have Lungi Ngidi in the squad. He played against CSK when Hazlewood was not available and did a good job by taking three wickets.
The main challenge for Ngidi is to stay consistent, just like the Aussie pacer has been all season. If he can do that, it will improve RCB’s chances, and this could be the season where they finally win the trophy for the first time.
RCB Predicted XI without Josh Hazlewood
Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal.
Impact Player: Suyash Sharma.
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