He has suffered a shoulder niggle and is unlikely to travel back when IPL 2025 restarts
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star overseas pacer Josh Hazlewood, who had returned to Australia after the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) season was halted, is unlikely to return for the tournament after resumption.
This is because he has suffered a shoulder niggle and is expected to stay back in Australia for his rehabilitation, especially with the World Test Championship (WTC 2025 Final) lined up next against South Africa from June 11.
Notably, Hazlewood had missed RCB’s last fixture against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and was doubtful for their game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 9 before the tournament was halted.
In the wake of this new development, fans have been calling for strict action to be taken against Hazlewood as they aren’t exactly convinced of the injury. The calls have grown even more with the tournament entering the business-end and RCB having a strong chance to make it to the playoffs.
Notably, the BCCI had introduced a new rule pertaining to overseas players from IPL 2025 where they will face bans if they decide to skip the tournament after getting picked in the auction as was the case for Harry Brook.
Hazlewood, however, gets away on a technicality as the ban doesn’t apply if a player’s injured midway. Nevertheless, fans don’t want the IPL committee to show mercy on Hazlewood and hand him a severe punishment. Check some of the reactions below.
ALSO READ:
Speaking about RCB, the Rajat Patidar-led side were placed at the second position before the IPL 2025 got suspended. RCB currently has eight wins from 11 games and a tally of 16 points. One more win will guarantee them a qualification and consolidate their chances of making a top-two finish. They have three more league matches left – against LSG, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
As for Hazlewood’s numbers, he has been the top wicket-taker for RCB and ranks third in the Purple Cap race with 18 scalps from 10 games.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
