It may be considered counter-intuitive but Josh Hazlewood has succeeded in T20 cricket by sticking to the attributes that make him such an asset in Test matches. The tall Australian was a late entrant to the short format but has made up for the delay by winning a T20 World Cup and an Indian Premier League title till now. His white-ball credentials were further burnished by the against-the-odds 2023 ODI World Cup triumph. After missing the first few matches of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru campaign in the ongoing season, he has stepped in seamlessly as the leader of the attack. His spell of 1/20 in four overs in the comprehensive win over Lucknow Super Giants wouldn’t have been out of place in a five-day game as batsmen seemed struggling to just survive and taking body blows when they tried to take him on. ALSO READ | RCB fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is second only to Jasprit Bumrah in mastering the T20 format “My strength is hitting that hard length consistently and making it difficult for batters to score. In T20 cricket, it’s about executing that under pressure and adapting when needed,” the 35-year-old explained his philosophy. Indeed, his high release, unrelenting accuracy and the ability to move the ball just enough to beat the bat has made Hazlewood a prize catch in every format of the game. The pressure he puts on the batters, especially with the new ball, is key to his effectiveness. “With the way T20 cricket is going, the expectations on batters are very high. If you can build a few quiet deliveries, the pressure can shift quickly and create opportunities,” he elaborated. ALSO READ | Josh Hazlewood’s fake slower ball — and why it makes him RCB’s most dangerous weapon in IPL 2026Story continues below this ad With an international career that has spanned a dozen years, the body is showing effects of the hard grind with the veteran pacer having to spend a lot of time off the ground, either due to fitness issues, selection decisions or just being selective about the games he plays. He missed the entire Ashes series at the turn of the year and was out of action for a full five months. “It’s been really pleasing to be back and contributing again. You learn a lot from time away due to injury, especially about respecting the recovery process, and the focus was on coming back fully ready and performing at this level,” Hazlewood said. He is not the only sharp tool in RCB’s armoury as pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rasikh Dar, as well as spinners Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma doing their stuff for the franchise admirably. “We’ve got a really balanced attack, with everyone bringing something different. It’s great to learn from each other, and that’s been a big strength for us as a unit.”
IPL 2026: What Josh Hazlewood thinks his strengths are in T20 cricket
