Josh Hazlewood provides the level of reliability that every captain aspires to: Sanjay Bangar

Pacer Josh Hazlewood was commended by former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar for his outstanding bowling against the Rajasthan Royals on April 24 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium under duress. After losing three straight games in Bengaluru, RCB won their first home game of the season to thunderous applause in their home stadium.

By defeating the Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 11 runs, RCB moved up to third place in the standings. Hazlewood’s outstanding bowling performance, which saw him take four wickets for only 33 runs, was the key to their triumph. RR needed just 18 runs in the final two overs after Bhuvneshwar Kumar went for 22 runs in the 18th over. But in the 19th over, Hazlewood put his team back in the game by dismissing Dhruv Jurel, the set batsman, and Jofra Archer on the very next ball. In the penultimate over, he allowed just one run to help his team win the match.

“He was excellent. Josh Hazlewood was predicted to be RR’s most dangerous bowler given the surface.

After Bhuvneshwar’s last over went for 22, and the Rajasthan Royals required 40 off 3, RCB was under pressure. However, Hazlewood replied well; the game was turned in the RCB’s advantage by those two wickets and Jitesh Sharma’s astute review. “Everyone on the team, especially Josh Hazlewood, did something exceptional,” Bangar stated on JioStar.

Josh Hazlewood is the “dream bowler” for any skipper in a dire position like the one from the previous game, the former India star continued. Josh Hazlewood has been a reliable wicket-taker this season, and RCB captain Patidar frequently uses him because of his ability to bowl both in the powerplay and the final overs. With 16 wickets, the pacer is presently tied with Gujarat Titans pacer Prasidh Krishna for the most wickets, and he has also topped the IPL 2025 Purple Cap list.

“Every captain aspires to have the consistency that Josh Hazlewood provides. He knows exactly what to bowl to each batter, hits the perfect lengths, and maintains his composure under duress. With the exception of the season he lost due to injury, he has been RCB’s most dependable bowler, which has contributed significantly to their bowling growth over the years. It comes naturally to him to hit test-match lengths every day. It’s not surprising that he took four wickets on a pitch with sharp bounce,” Bangar continued.