Australia speedster Josh Hazlewood is yet to recover from his injury fully and will miss the opening few Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 matches for the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). It has been reliably learnt that the speedster is all set to join the franchise ahead of the franchise's third fixture against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on April 12. Former India opener and chief selector, Kris Srikkanth, believes that RCB would dearly miss Hazlewood in the initial few matches, as no other bowler in the team has a skill set similar to the 35-year-old.
The 35-year-old was RCB's leading wicket-taker in IPL 2025, with 22 wickets in 12 games. He led the attack and ensured that Virat Kohli's wait for an IPL title came to an end. However, Hazlewood wouldn't be a part of the first three matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth said that RCB's bowling energy would drop in Hazlewood's absence, and the team would have their task cut out. RCB do have New Zealand speedster Jacob Duffy in their ranks, but the pacer is going through bad form, after being hammered for runs in the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
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“Josh Hazlewood’s absence is a big blow. Even if he’s not fit for two weeks, they'd have finished three to four matches there. Without him, their energy levels will drop. Their entire bowling will weaken. None of his replacements can come to his level. Jacob Duffy is not a bad bowler. But he was smashed in the World Cup in India. It remains to be seen if he can be great in Indian conditions,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“Josh Hazlewood’s absence is a big blow. Even if he’s not fit for two weeks, they'd have finished three to four matches there. Without him, their energy levels will drop. Their entire bowling will weaken. None of his replacements can come to his level. Jacob Duffy is not a bad bowler. But he was smashed in the World Cup in India. It remains to be seen if he can be great in Indian conditions,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“But without Hazlewood, 25 per cent of RCB’s threat will be gone. He is not only a game-changer but a match-winner. The fear factor he creates is similar to Bumrah’s. Hazlewood bowls that brilliant Test match length, where a batter can’t go forward or back,” he added.
‘Difficult for RCB’
Hazlewood is currently undergoing rehab back home. The bowler will only be able to make it to India after he gets the clearance from Cricket Australia's medical staff. Even Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins will join the franchise late, as he is on the same boat as Hazlewood.
Srikkanth said that one of the biggest reasons behind RCB's win last year was the bowling partnership between Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hazlewood, saying if this is broken this year, then the going will be really tough for the defending champions.
“The combination of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood was outstanding last year. More than individuals, you have to look at pairs. If this combination is broken, it’ll be difficult for RCB,” said Srikkanth.