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RCB's IPL 2026 Hopes Hinge on Hazlewood's Fitness, Says Du Plessis

Faf du Plessis has emphasized that Royal Challengers Bengaluru's success in IPL 2026 is heavily dependent on the availability of pace bowler Josh Hazlewood, who is recovering from a hamstring injury. Hazlewood, a pivotal figure in RCB's 2025 title win, has been sidelined since last November and will miss the initial matches. Du Plessis explained that Hazlewood's skill in taking early and late wickets leaves a significant void in the bowling unit, especially at the batter-friendly Chinnaswamy Stadium. He also stressed the importance of having a quality finger spinner, like Krunal Pandya, to build a balanced attack for the upcoming season.

Key Points: RCB Success Tied to Hazlewood Availability: Du Plessis

  • Hazlewood injured since Nov 2025
  • Missed T20 World Cup 2026
  • Key for powerplay and death bowling
  • Chinnaswamy is batter-friendly
  • Need quality spinners like Krunal
3 min read

IPL 2026: 'A lot of RCB's success will depend on Hazlewood's availability,' opines Du Plessis

Faf du Plessis says Josh Hazlewood's fitness is crucial for RCB's IPL 2026 title defence, citing a massive hole in their bowling attack.

"A lot of the team's success goes hand in hand with Hazlewood's availability. - Faf du Plessis"

New Delhi, March 20

Former South African player Faf du Plessis has stressed the importance of Josh Hazlewood in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's chances ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026, saying the team's success is closely linked to the availability of the Australian pacer.

Hazlewood, who played a crucial role in RCB's triumphant campaign in the IPL 2025, has not played a match since injuring his hamstring in the Sheffield Shield on November 12 last year. The pacer also missed the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026 due to not attaining full recovery. The 35-year-old is currently managed by Cricket Australia and is set to miss the opening matches of the IPL 2026. His return date is yet to be confirmed.

Du Plessis explained that Hazlewood's ability to deliver in crucial phases, both with the new ball and at the death, makes him a vital part of the bowling attack, and his absence leaves a significant gap in the side.

"When he was there, even when I was playing, we would have effective bowling attacks, and when you take him out, he leaves such a massive hole because he gets you wickets in the power play. He comes back, and he's excellent at depth. So I think a lot of his or a lot of the team's success goes hand in hand with Hazlewood's availability," Du Plessis was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

The former Proteas batter also pointed out that building a strong bowling unit has always been a challenge at the RCB's home ground, Chinnaswamy Stadium, due to its batting-friendly nature, making experienced bowlers even more crucial.

"For a long period of time, Chinnaswamy has been a very difficult home ground. In all the years that I was there as well, you can't, you try and plan for what you think are home conditions, but it's so different all the time, and it's so batter-friendly. So the only difference I've really picked up is that you need a quality finger spinner, which I wish we had in our time in terms of the guys we're talking about now, those guys," he said.

Du Plessis added that having the right mix of bowlers, including quality spinners and experienced pacers like Hazlewood, is key for RCB to succeed in the upcoming IPL season.

"The only difference that I have picked up is that you need to have a quality finger spinner, which I wish we had in our time, in terms of now we are talking about, Krunal Pandya is there. He was the key for me last year. He played one of the most important roles coming in," the former RCB captain added.

RCB will start their title defence on March 28, when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament opener at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As a long-time RCB fan, I feel this over-reliance on one overseas pacer is a recurring issue. Our Indian pace battery needs to step up. We have Siraj, Akash Deep... they must own the responsibility. Can't pin all hopes on an injury-prone 35-year-old, no matter how good he is.
V
Vikram M
The real issue Faf highlighted is Chinnaswamy. It's a graveyard for bowlers! We finally won because we had a balanced attack last year - Hazlewood's death bowling and Krunal's spin in the middle. Missing even one piece breaks the puzzle. Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.
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Priya S
It's so frustrating when national boards don't prioritize IPL fitness for their players. CA knows how important he is for RCB's campaign. Hope he's back before the business end of the tournament. Meanwhile, time for someone like Lockie Ferguson to show his worth.
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Rohit P
True that! But let's not forget, we are the defending champions. The team has the belief now. Other players will have to rise to the occasion. Every season throws up new heroes. Maybe this is Yash Dayal's or Vyshak's time to shine. 💪
K
Karthik V
Faf's analysis is spot on, as always. He understands the Chinnaswamy challenge intimately. A quality finger spinner like Krunal and a world-class pacer like Hazelwood are non-negotiable for success here. The management should have had a better backup plan ready for such a scenario.

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