IPL 2025 | `It feels good to be back,` RCB`s Josh after recovering from injury

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru support staff was keen to get Josh Hazlewood completely fit for the Playoffs and thus did not hurry him into action by giving him an extended rest. That paid dividends as the Australian fast bowler was at his best on a helpful pitch against Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 here on Thursday. The moment the tall Aussie speedster got rid of Shreyas Iyer and Josh Inglis early, it was RCB all the way, as they went on to bowl out PBKS for just 101. Talking to the media after the match, he said that RCB have been performing well as a bowling unit this season, with five to six bowlers bowling well in tandem. He also said that he was surprised by the help the bowlers got from the surface here, which made his task easier coming from a shoulder injury.

‘Feels good to be back’

“During the injury layoff, I worked really hard on the shoulder to get back [on the field] and got some good overs [in practice sessions] in over 10 days to be fit again. Yeah, it feels good to be back, so I was happy with tonight’s performance. The wicket helped, obviously, didn’t it? Not having to bowl fast yorkers or anything like that on coming back from an injury was beneficial. It feels good to be back,” Hazlewood said after bagging three crucial wickets that paved RCB’s path to the final.

There is no doubt that the RCB bowlers have been doing well this season, given a bowler of Nuwan Thushara’s calibre has played just one game. Hazlewood said that the bowling unit has grown stronger with every match. “As a unit, we have worked really well. Everyone knows their role, I think everyone is a little bit different, the combination is great, we have got some good variation, everyone has got different strengths and it is just about using them at the right time. I think we’ve just got all bases covered. Any one of the five or six bowlers can bowl at any moment of the game, whether it’s the start, middle or end.

Clear planning, execution

“There have been a few games where we’ve defended the score, we’ve got some really nice last few overs in games, and it’s just clear planning first of all, and clear execution and commitment that has worked,” said Hazlewood.

This article first appeared on Mid Day