In a thrilling IPL 2025 encounter between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood delivered a match-turning spell that not only shifted the momentum in RCB’s favour but also propelled him to the top of the Purple Cap leaderboard.
Hazlewood’s fiery four-wicket haul—conceding just 33 runs in four overs—took his overall tally to 16 wickets this season, drawing level with Gujarat Titans’ Prasidh Krishna. RR started their chase strongly, with Yashasvi Jaiswal providing an explosive start. However, Hazlewood’s introduction into the attack changed the tone of the innings. He dismissed both Jaiswal and Shimron Hetmyer, denting RR’s momentum significantly.
The real impact came in the death overs when RR seemed to be cruising towards victory. Hazlewood stepped up again, removing Dhruv Jurel and Jofra Archer to derail the chase and seal the match for RCB.
“I Was Just Sticking to My Strengths” – Josh Hazlewood
Hazlewood was named the Player of the Match for his brilliant performance. During the post-match presentation, he shared insights into his approach: “[On the 19th over] I was just sticking to my strengths. I knew hard lengths were hard to hit, so I was mixing that up with yorkers and change of pace. [On his evolution as a T20 bowler] I think it’s just a range of people and teams. First of all, it’s a chance to play the format. For a lot of years, Test cricket and ODIs were a preference. But then Sydney Sixers, CSK, RCB—I got the chance to take in pieces of information. I just love our attack. We bounce off each other really well. The bounce here has been quite steep throughout the tournament. Getting the score we did today was really great.”
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