Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], March 23 : Josh Hazlewood set the tone for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 opener with a masterful spell that put Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on the back foot. Leading RCB's pace attack, he struck in the first and final overs, finishing with an impressive 2/22, as per ESPNcricinfo.
Beyond just taking wickets, removing Quinton de Kock early and Harshit Rana at the death, Hazlewood's control over line and length was the key differentiator. He delivered 16 dot balls, maintained an economy of just 5.50, and emerged as the standout fast bowler on the night. His success came from disciplined bowling, sticking mostly to short and short-of-good-length deliveries while rarely pitching it up.
After the match, Hazlewood revealed that his decision to favour shorter lengths was influenced by the conditions. With the pitch under covers for nearly two days, he knew there would be moisture, which suited his style. His approach ensured that KKR struggled early, managing only nine runs in the first three overs.
"It was more based on pitch and conditions," Hazlewood said in the post-match press conference, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"The full ball probably wasn't gonna do as much unless you were searching for swing. I found that it was sort of sticking in the wicket a little and the bounce was quite good. I like bowling here at Eden Gardens. And yeah, we just sort of stuck to our lengths," he added.
"I've bowled quite a lot to Quinton de Kock in all formats. He is a very dangerous player, so better to keep it simple and really tight. I know I went a little wide to him and he hit me for four. The plan was not trying to go too full or too short, really sticking to those hard lengths. If he makes something off that length for four or six, then that's just a good shot. So yeah, sticking to my strengths, definitely," he said.
"When it comes to Narine, when the wicket has got some good bounce in it, that's helpful for the bowers. He's very much a powerful powerplay batter, and he is always up to take on the bowling and score quickly. So to keep him quiet was very handy," he noted.
Despite aggressive knocks from Ajinkya Rahane and Sunil Narine at the top, KKR failed to post a competitive total, finishing on 174. Hazlewood credited RCB's well-coordinated bowling effort for restricting them, highlighting Krunal Pandya's three-wicket burst and Suyash Sharma's crucial dismissal of Andre Russell as turning points. KKR's collapse in the final overs adding just 23 runs in the last four proved costly.
"We would have had to bowl a little bit differently at the end if we didn't take those wickets through the middle," Hazlewood said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"But KP [Krunal] bowled beautifully through the middle. Luckily, I got to bowl to sort of the tail towards the end, but I think the hard lengths work best here most of the time," he added.
"In our bowlers' meetings, there's typically someone in the room who has played a lot of cricket at those grounds. So [they] stand up in those moments and talk about their experiences on that ground and what works well for them. So it's very much a discussion among the bowling group with the coaches, with specific planning for the grounds," he noted.
Having missed the 2024 IPL season, Hazlewood returned to RCB this year as their most expensive auction pick at INR 12.50 crore (approximately USD 1.49 million). He noted that despite RCB's four-match losing streak against KKR before this game, the team, featuring six new faces in the XI, wasn't weighed down by past results. He also praised the 95-run opening partnership between Phil Salt and Virat Kohli, which set the foundation for RCB's comfortable chase.
"It's a positive influence - fresh people, fresh mindset, I think it's big," Hazlewood said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"You mention the last four losses to KKR but I don't think anyone in the room would have known that because we gave about six caps before the game started. That's like a fresh start almost," he added.
"It's a new cycle in the IPL, but those fresh players - Salt being one of those - played outstandingly. Tonight, the opening partnership really set up the chase for us. It was not a huge score, but still a decent total, so to get us off to that start was crucial," he noted.
Addressing concerns about his fitness following a calf injury, Hazlewood assured that bowling four T20 overs doesn't put too much strain on his body. He expects to grow stronger as the tournament progresses.
"I feel like I got through the game very well. I know the intensity is through the roof, but it's only four overs. I feel I'll just keep building throughout the tournament and this is probably the freshest I've been in a long time. I've done a lot of work off the field to get back to this point, which was tough, but I think I am mentally and physically refreshed," he said.