One of the players for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their inaugural matchup with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Josh Hazlewood, believed that the major change in the team this year was the addition of new players to the roster.
“I think it’s a major beneficial influence—new people, new thinking. We were given roughly six caps prior to the game, so I doubt anyone in the room would have been aware of the last four losses to KKR. “It’s almost like a new beginning,” Hazlewood stated during the news conference held on March 22 (Saturday) after the game.
Josh Hazlewood praised Phil Salt, who joined RCB this year after previously playing for KKR, while discussing the new players. “The IPL is in a new cycle, but those new players—Salt being one of them—played brilliantly,” he remarked.
Salt and Virat Kohli produced an opening partnership of 95 runs in just 8.3 overs, with Salt scoring 56 off 31 balls.
Josh Hazlewood discussed his length and bowling patterns. He concluded with stats of 2/22 in his four overs and helped stop KKR to 173/8 with the help of Suyash Sharma and Krunal Pandya. It was unlikely that the full ball would do as much unless you were looking for the swing.
“It was more based on pitch and conditions,” Josh Hazlewood added.
“I noticed that it bounced pretty well and was kind of sticking in the wicket a little.” Here at Eden Gardens, I enjoy bowling. The large Australian paced said, “And yeah, we just kind of stuck to our lengths.”
“KP [Krunal] bowled beautifully through the middle,” Hazlewood added, complimenting his bowling partners. I believe the hard lengths work best here most of the time, but I was fortunate enough to bowl to sort of the tail near the end.
Being healthy has always been a concern for Josh Hazlewood, and he is now recuperating from a calf ailment. This time, however, the 34-year-old sounds secure.
“I think I played the game really well. It’s only four overs, but I know the intensity is over the roof. This is definitely the freshest I’ve been in a long time, and I feel like I’ll simply keep getting better throughout the tournament. It was difficult, but I believe I am both physically and psychologically rejuvenated after putting in a lot of work off the pitch to get here’, he remarked.
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