It was Josh Hazlewood‘s name echoing in the stands on Thursday (April 24), a rare post-match ovation for a bowler. Josh Hazlewood, a proven all-format star, was the hero of a come-from-behind win, RCB’s first home win of the season. His 4 for 33 helped restrict Rajasthan Royals (RR) to 194 for 9 after RCB put on 205 for 5.
The Chinnaswamy Stadium was hushed into silence as 40 off 18 quickly shrank to 18 off 12. Josh Hazlewood, who had already been impressive, conceding just six runs in his third over and dismissing Shimron Hetmyer with another well-executed hard length ball, was now faced with the task of pulling off an unlikely win for RCB, their first home victory of IPL 2025. And yet, that’s exactly what he did. Josh Hazlewood now shares the top spot on the IPL 2025 wickets chart with Prasidh Krishna, both on 16 wickets.
Josh Hazlewood’s brilliant death bowling seals the win for RCB
Josh Hazlewood’s first battle of the day was against Jaiswal. One sharply rising delivery floored the opener early on, but Jaiswal bounced back with a flurry of boundaries. In the last over of the powerplay, Josh Hazlewood went around the wicket, got one to climb awkwardly, and had Jaiswal caught in the circle.
The right-arm seamer began his spell with a 12-run over and further gave away 14 runs in his second over but managed to get the big wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal (49 off 19). He further returned in the 17th over as RR required 46 runs to win in the last four overs. Josh Hazlewood gave just six runs in his third over and dismissed Shimron Hetmyer (11 off 8).
Josh Hazlewood came back at the death when Rajasthan needed 46 off 24. First, he conceded just six runs and removed Hetmyer. Then came the penultimate over- Royals needed 18 off 12. Josh Hazlewood gave just one run and took two wickets.
After digging in an off-cutter that skidded through, Josh Hazlewood followed up with a wide yorker, which the well-set Dhruv Jurel nicked through to the keeper, confirmed after a DRS review. He then delivered a pace-on length ball to Jofra Archer, whose attempted swipe skewed to cover. Just like that, RCB had turned the game on its head, securing a drought-breaking win at home.
Josh Hazlewood started his IPL journey with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2020 and 2021. Since IPL 2022, though, he’s been an RCB man. And given how he’s been performing for them, he’s likely to remain so. Those chants at the Chinnaswamy will ring out again. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) head coach Andy Flower was effusive in his praise for Josh Hazlewood following his match-winning performance against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Josh Hazlewood Has Got Great All-Round Skills- Andy Flower
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) head coach Andy Flower is in awe of Josh Hazlewood following his game-changing spell against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Match 42 of the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025) on Thursday, April 24. Josh Hazlewood helped RCB snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with his exceptional death bowling as he finished with figures of 4/33 in four overs. Josh Hazlewood, whose first two overs had gone for 26, ended up with Player of the Match-winning figures of 4 for 33,
Following his outstanding performance, Flower praised the Australian seamer for having variety in his bowling and the knowledge of using the right delivery at the right time.
“I would probably refer to both of his last overs because his 2 overs went for 7 and he took 3 wickets in them. So I think both those overs showed the class of the guy, he’s a, he’s a class operator, he’s a world-class bowler. He is great under pressure in any format of the game. He thinks clearly, and he’s got great skill.
I know he’s known for his heavy length bowling. But he’s got some great, all-round skills. He mixes in those yorkers, wide yorkers, slower balls and he seems to know what type of ball to bowl at the right time. So it’s great having a guy like him in our squad, and part of a very strong three-pronged attack,” said Andy Flower in the post-match press conference.
Following their victory, Josh Hazlewood was deservedly adjudged Player of the Match. With their thrilling win, RCB climbed to the third spot on the points table with six wins from nine matches, having 12 points to their name. They will next take on Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 27 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Also Read: RCB vs RR: Josh Hazlewood’s Deadly Spell Pulls Off Unthinkable Win