BENGALURU, March 23 (Reuters) – Josh Hazlewood showed exactly why Royal Challengers Bengaluru splashed the cash for his services as the refreshed Australian seamer produced suffocating spells to help his team secure an opening victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Following stints in 2022 and 2023, Hazlewood rejoined the Bengaluru side after being bought for 125 million Indian rupees ($1.45 million) at the auction in Jeddah in November to become the most expensive Australian player this season.
The 34-year-old, who was ruled out of Australia’s Champions Trophy campaign with a hip issue, repaid the faith shown by his IPL side with figures of 2-22 in Bengaluru’s seven-wicket victory over champions Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday.
“I feel I got through the game very well,” said Hazlewood, who bowled 16 dot balls in his 24 deliveries.
“I know the intensity is through the roof but it’s only four overs. I feel I’ll just keep building throughout the tournament and this is probably the freshest I’ve been in a long time.
“I’ve done a lot of work off the field to get back to this point, which was tough, but I think I am mentally and physically refreshed.”
Phil Salt’s explosive 56 at the top of the order helped the three-times runners-up easily chase down their victory target of 175 and Hazlewood was full of praise for the England batsman after he forged a 95-run opening stand with Virat Kohli.
“It’s a new cycle in the IPL, but those fresh players – Salt being one of those – played outstandingly,” Hazlewood added.
“The opening partnership really set up the chase for us. It was not a huge score, but still a decent total, so to get us off to that start was crucial.”
Bengaluru next face Chennai Super Kings on Friday.
($1 = 85.99 Indian rupees)
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford )
