'One-Dimensional Bowling Attack': Mohammad Kaif Slams Josh Hazlewood-Less RCB
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Mohammad Kaif has highlighted RCB's struggle without Josh Hazlewood, conceding 200+ runs in his absence.
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has said that all of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's hard work can be spoiled in the absence of Josh Hazlewood, pointing out how they have conceded 200+ runs in both the games the star Aussie pacer missed out in IPL 2025.
In Hazlewood's absence, Bengaluru have included Lungi Ngidi as their frontline overseas bowler.
Bengaluru have felt Hazlewood's absence badly till now, conceding more than 200 runs in each of the two recent games that he has missed.
'All of RCB's hard work could be spoiled because Hazlewood was not there for RCB in these last two matches. In both those matches, RCB have conceded over 200 runs, first against CSK and now against SRH in this match," Kaif said in a video posted on his X account.
Can RCB reach top 2 without Hazlewood? pic.twitter.com/hE6GdbgIJd — Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) May 23, 2025
'Without him, this bowling attack is one-dimensional. Until Hazlewood was there, RCB had conceded only 200 runs once this season. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal looked great while bowling along with Hazlewood, but without him, it looks different," Kaif said.
'They are missing him at the moment. If Hazlewood fails to be fit in time and remains unavailable, then it will be difficult for RCB to win during the business end of the tournament," Kaif added.
As a result of this heavy loss to the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Bengaluru (17 points) have slid down to third on the table behind the Gujarat Titans (18) and the Punjab Kings (17). The Net Run Rate (NRR) took a significant beating as well.
Ishan Kishan made a brilliant unbeaten 94 off 48 deliveries, Bengaluru needed some calculated assault on the target.
Bengaluru mounted it through Phil Salt (62, 32b, 4xx, 5×6), ace India batter Virat Kohli (43, 25b, 7×4, 1×6) and Jitesh Sharma (24, 15b), but could just amass 189 before getting bundled out.
But the start of Bengaluru's chase offered a different tale, as Kohli and Salt sprinted to 80 runs in just seven overs.
RCB next play the Lucknow Super Giants on May 27 at the latter's home.
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First Published:
May 24, 2025, 11:59 IST
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