Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood hasn’t been included in Bengaluru's playing XI in their IPL 2025 match against Chennai Super Kings at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday (May 3).
RCB entered the match aiming to strengthen their playoff chances, but suffered a setback with pace spearhead Hazlewood ruled out of the crucial fixture. After being asked to bat first, captain Rajat Patidar revealed he would have preferred to field first, but offered no update on Hazlewood’s absence.
"We would have fielded as well. But the wicket will not change that much," Patidar said. "We will try to put a good total on the board and keep them under pressure. Everyone is in a good frame of mind and doing their roles, as a captain, I am very confident in my boys. Till now many players have performed for the team, and that is a good sign. We have four games and we will try our best in all the games".
Instead, the home franchise named Lungi Ngidi as Hazlewood's replacement. This marks Ngidi's first IPL appearance since May 2021, when he last played for CSK against Mumbai Indians. RCB acquired the South African pacer for INR 1 crore in the mega auction.
Go well, Lungi! 👊
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 3, 2025
Find your rhythm, hit your stride, and make the batters dance to your tunes! 🕺💥 pic.twitter.com/6mIJAFPcaQ
Is Hazlewood injured?
Hazlewood was present at the ground, but did not train or mark his run-up. He only joined the team huddle and observed warm-up sessions with the analyst. Notably, he was also seen conversing with opposition coach Stephen Fleming, his former IPL coach.
While Patidar offered no update on Hazlewood, Harsha Bhogle explained in commentary that the quick was sidelined by a shoulder niggle.
Injuries have plagued Hazlewood in recent years, including a hip issue that ruled him out of the 2025 Champions Trophy and a calf strain that cut short his Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign. RCB will hope this latest shoulder niggle isn’t serious, given his pivotal role this season: 18 wickets at an average of 17.27 and an economy of 8.44, making him their second-highest wicket-taker. His form has been instrumental in RCB’s strong campaign (7 wins in 10 matches), propelling them to third on the table.
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