Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Josh Hazlewood had match figures of four wickets for 33 runs against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Thursday, April 24.
Hazlewood's spell inspired RCB's first win at home in IPL 2025 after three consecutive losses in three games at the Chinnaswamy. He backed up the good work done by the batters.
The Rajat Patidar-led side scored 205 runs for 5 wickets after their 20 overs. Virat Kohli (70 runs off 42 balls) led the charge with the bat, as Devdutt Padikkal (50 runs off 27 balls), Tim David (23 runs off 15 balls), and Jitesh Sharma (20* runs off 10 balls) played key knocks for the side.
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Josh Hazlewood Is A World-Class Bowler: Andy Flower
RR was well placed around the 10th over mark in the chase. However, two quick wickets for Krunal Pandya allowed RCB to get back into the game. It also allowed Hazlewood to apply pressure on the Rajasthan lower order. His first two overs went for 26 runs. His last two overs at the death went for just seven, with him giving away just one run in the 19th over.
Josh Hazlewood's death bowling skills earned him great praise from head coach Andy Flower, who said that he is a class operator with the ball.
 "I would probably refer to both of his last overs because his two overs went for seven, and he took three wickets in them. So I think both those overs showed the class of the guy. He's a class operator, a world-class bowler, great under pressure in any format of the game, thinks clearly, and has great skill," Flower said RCB's win over RR.
He also lauded the Aussie pacer for his all-round skills as a bowler, which were on display against Rajasthan Royals. He is now second on the Purple Cap list with 16 wickets from nine games after his spell against RR.
"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. It's great having a guy like him in our side, part of a very strong three-pronged [pace] attack" added Flower.
Flower Underlines Importance Of Krunal Pandya's Spell
The RCB head coach also had a special mention for Krunal Pandya, who took two wickets for 31 runs in the game. He dismissed Nitish Rana (28 runs off 22 balls) and RR skipper Riyan Parag (22 runs off 10 balls) to shift the momentum of the game in RCB's favor.
"Well, Krunal was a very important pick for us in the auction. We were targeting him. We obviously liked his all-round capabilities but also his experience. He's experienced winning the IPL, he's experienced captaining in the IPL, he's played international cricket, he's got a good cricket head on his shoulders, and he's also got a bit of fire in his belly-and I really like that" Flower said.
The win has taken RCB to third on the IPL 2025 points table, while Rajasthan Royals is languishing at seventh on the points table with just four points from nine games.
