Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower hailed Josh Hazlewood’s death-over masterclass after they secured a 11-run win against Rajasthan Royals at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru in the ongoing IPL 2025 on Thursday.
Defending 206, Hazlewood returned with impressive figures of 4-33 in his quota of four overs, accounting for Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, and Jofra Archer.
With only 18 runs needed off the last two overs, Hazlewood conceded a solitary run in the penultimate over and also took two wickets.
The lanky Australian was able to extract extra bounce from the surface and nailed his slower deliveries as well as the yorkers.
“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 after the win against Rajasthan Royals.
“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.
Hazlewood’s brilliance with the ball meant RCB had 17 runs in the bank for the final over, which was bowled by Yash Dayal. The left-arm conceded only five as RCB secured their sixth win of the season.
“I thought Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] has been superb this season, and Yash [Dayal] was outstanding again today. That last over, I thought he showed outstanding skill and composure under pressure to repeatedly bowl yorkers like that. So I think those three quicks have been great for us so far this season. We’ve got some more work to do, obviously, to help us in this last third of the league matches, and Hazlewood certainly leads from the front in that regard.”
Furthermore, the former Zimbabwean skipper also hailed Krunal Pandya, who registered figures of 2-31. Pandya accounted for RR captain Riyan Parag and Nitish Rana.
“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,” Flower said. “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.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will next take on Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Sunday.
