For the first time in almost twenty years, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will step onto the field on March 28 as the defending champions of the Indian Premier League. They finally broke their 18-season dry spell last year, thanks to Rajat Patidar’s leadership in 2025.
The “Red Devils” are ready to kick off their season against Sunrisers Hyderabad, but things aren’t all smooth. Their pace attack is in trouble, and it’s casting a shadow over their hopes of winning another title.
The Josh Hazlewood Hurdle: A Spearhead Sidelined?
Josh Hazlewood, the Australian fast bowler who led RCB to victory in 2025, is now racing the clock. He tore through Punjab Kings’ lineup in last year’s final, but he hasn’t played since the India T20I series.
He’s already missed the Ashes and the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Now, nobody’s sure when he’ll be back. Australian selectors said things look good, but people close to the team say his recovery changes day by day, with physios watching him closely.
RCB leans hard on Josh Hazlewood for those tough opening overs and early wickets. Without him, Andy Flower’s game plan takes a serious hit.
Adding to the misery is the uncertain condition of Indian left-arm fast bowler Yash Dayal who is in deep legal trouble now.
Along with Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the pacer had delivered the most deadly bowling trio last season. The main point for his whole situation is sexual assault charge on the player for which Dayals anticipatory bail was refused by a Jaipur court a few days back.
Not only that due to ongoing investigation and non-likely physical presence of the player to the team, RCB may not have two-thirds of their pace bowling which made them the champions just a year ago.
Who could replace Josh Hazlewood for RCB in 2026?
While the RCB has received some insurance through the auction acquisitions of Jacob Duffy and Nuwan Thushara, there is certainly some level of disruption to the cohesive nature of the currently "winning XI."
A possible direct "style" replacement for Josh Hazlewood is Jacob Duffy, who can bowl similar uncomfortable lengths.
Meanwhile, Nuwan Thushara is a "death-bowler" and his unusual bowling action should create opportunities for him to take wickets at different stages during a match, which could cause RCB's selection to re-evaluate how they distribute their overseas player slots.
The Middle Order Factor: The RCB is nearly locked into the signing of Phil Salt & Tim David, which means they will either need to choose between using an extra bowler or potentially use rookie Jacob Bethell as a fill-in to improve their middle-order batting.
Also Read: Dhoni, Kohli, and Rohit Coming to Guwahati! IPL 2026 Schedule Out – You Won’t Believe the Lineup!
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