IPL 2026: 'A lot of RCB's success will depend on Hazlewood's availability,' opines Du Plessis

New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) Former South African player Faf du Plessis has stressed the importance of Josh Hazlewood in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) chances ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, saying the team’s success is closely linked to the availability of the Australian pacer.

Hazlewood, who played a crucial role in RCB's triumphant campaign in the IPL 2025, has not played a match since injuring his hamstring in the Sheffield Shield on November 12 last year. The pacer also missed the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026 due to not attaining full recovery. The 35-year-old is currently managed by Cricket Australia and is set to miss the opening matches of the IPL 2026. His return date is yet to be confirmed.

Du Plessis explained that Hazlewood’s ability to deliver in crucial phases, both with the new ball and at the death, makes him a vital part of the bowling attack, and his absence leaves a significant gap in the side.

“When he was there, even when I was playing, we would have effective bowling attacks, and when you take him out, he leaves such a massive hole because he gets you wickets in the power play. He comes back, and he's excellent at depth. So I think a lot of his or a lot of the team's success goes hand in hand with Hazlewood's availability," Du Plessis was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

The former Proteas batter also pointed out that building a strong bowling unit has always been a challenge at the RCB's home ground, Chinnaswamy Stadium, due to its batting-friendly nature, making experienced bowlers even more crucial.

“For a long period of time, Chinnaswamy has been a very difficult home ground. In all the years that I was there as well, you can't, you try and plan for what you think are home conditions, but it's so different all the time, and it's so batter-friendly. So the only difference I've really picked up is that you need a quality finger spinner, which I wish we had in our time in terms of the guys we're talking about now, those guys," he said.

Du Plessis added that having the right mix of bowlers, including quality spinners and experienced pacers like Hazlewood, is key for RCB to succeed in the upcoming IPL season.

"The only difference that I have picked up is that you need to have a quality finger spinner, which I wish we had in our time, in terms of now we are talking about, Krunal Pandya is there. He was the key for me last year. He played one of the most important roles coming in," the former RCB captain added.

RCB will start their title defence on March 28, when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament opener at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

--IANS

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