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Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Sport
- Business Recorder
Returning Hazlewood ‘in good place' ahead of critical fortnight
CHANDIGARH: Australia's Josh Hazlewood said it was perfect preparation for the World Test Championship final after delivering a match-winning performance on his return to the IPL. The fast bowler finished with figures of 3-21 as Royal Challengers Bengaluru sealed their place in the IPL decider with an eight-wicket thrashing of Punjab Kings on Thursday. The 34-year-old only recently rejoined Bengaluru after returning home due to a shoulder injury and following the stoppage in the league caused by the conflict between India and Pakistan. Josh Hazlewood returns for third Test against India, Boland out He struck two key blows at Mullanpur including skipper Shreyas Iyer for two as Bengaluru bundled out Punjab for 101. Hazlewood wrapped up the Punjab batting with his third strike in 14.1 overs. With the WTC final at Lord's between Australia and South Africa starting on June 11, it was a perfect reminder of his prowess. 'I've got to be bowling. You know, wherever I am in the world I've got to be bowling, getting ready for that game anyway,' Hazlewood said. 'There's no better place than I think out in the middle. Obviously you've got to bowl more hours of training from time to time to build up for a Test, but to get that intensity right up, there's no better place than the IPL.' He added: 'I don't bowl too much differently in Test match cricket than tonight, so it's still that hard length, so I feel in a good place.' The restart of the IPL after a week-long stoppage and its revised schedule put it on a collision course with the international calendar. Some foreign stars including Australia's Mitchell Starc did not return. Others are missing from the playoffs, including Gujarat Titans' Jos Buttler, because of commitments with their countries. South African players including Punjab's Marco Jansen also headed home ahead of the IPL playoffs to prepare for the WTC final. But Hazlewood decided to be with Virat Kohli's Bengaluru and after his spell of 3.1 overs at a bowling-friendly pitch feels ready for a critical fortnight. 'Worked really hard the last few weeks on the shoulders to get back and got some good overs into it the last sort of 10 days,' said Hazlewood. 'And yeah it is feeling good to be back.' Bengaluru, who are chasing their first IPL title, await their opponent in the final on June 3 at the world's biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad. 'I think we've just got all bases covered,' said Hazlewood. 'I think any one of the five or six bowlers can bowl at any moment of the game, whether it's the start, middle or end.'
NDTV
an hour ago
- Sport
- NDTV
"Committing Suicide": Sunil Gavaskar Slams PBKS Star For Failure vs RCB In IPL 2025 Qualifier 1
It was a pathetic batting performance from Punjab Kings during the Qualifier 1 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 in Mullanpur on Thursday. After getting an invitation to bat first by Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the Shreyas Iyer-led side was bundled out for a paltry 101 runs as none of its batters could take his innings deep. Playing rash shots cost PBKS big and the side ended up losing the game by 8 wickets. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar showed no mercy while commenting on the batting of PBKS, especially Marcus Stoinis. For the Iyer-led team, Stoinis was the top-scorer with 26 runs off 17 balls but he too became a victim of poor shot selection. Stoinis fell as the last recognised batter for PBKS and Gavaskar didn't mince his words while slamming him. RCB spinner Suyash Sharma bowled a googly and Stoinis tried to play a horrible slog-sweep and missed the ball completely. The ball rattled his stumps. "This is unbelievable. This is committing suicide, isn't it?" said Gavaskar said on-air while reacting to the dismissal. Same was the story of other PBKS batters as well. They too did wild swinging and ended up losing their wickets. PBKS captain Shreyas was quite honest in admitting that the batters failed in the game, which led to the side's downfall. "We've got to work on our batting, especially on this wicket. In all the games we have played here, there has been some variable bounce. We can't give such reasons because we are professionals at the end of the day, and we have to bat according to the situation, and we have to live up to it. We have lost the battle but not the war," he said after the game. "Not a day to forget, but got to go back to the drawing board. We lost a lot of wickets (in the first innings). There's a lot to go back and study on. I am not doubting on my decisions to be honest. Whatever we did in terms of planning, outside of the ground, or whatever (planning) we did, I think it was on point. Just that we couldn't execute it on the field, can't even blame the bowlers, as it was a low total to defend," the PBKS captain added. PBKS will get another chance to make it to the final as they will face the winner of the Eliminator game between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians that is set to take place on Friday.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Sport
- Hans India
IPL 2025: Everybody's chipped in for RCB, when they were down and out, says Varun Aaron
Former India fast-bowler Varun Aaron believes different players stepping up for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have played a big role in the franchise entering the IPL 2025 final through a dominating eight-wicket win over Punjab Kings in Thursday's Qualifier 1 game in New Chandigarh. In that match, leg-spinner Suyash Sharma, later adjudged Player of the Match, and pacer Josh Hazlewood took three wickets each to help RCB bowl out PBKS for just 101 in 14.1 overs. The target was chased down in exactly 10 overs by RCB, thanks to Phil Salt hitting an unbeaten 56. "At the end of the day, you've got to attribute it to eight players being man of the match throughout the season. Because RCB have always been dominated by a few players, a few big batters, I would say, did the bulk of the lifting. But there was always talks about, after Virat Kohli, who's the highest (Indian) run-scorer? Till last year, it was Rahul Dravid. This year, that has changed." "Phil Salt has come in, he's played a really big hand. Devdutt Padikkal was instrumental in the first half. Now, you've got somebody like Jitesh Sharma standing up. Rajat Patidar is looking good, even from last game, though he didn't get too many runs." "So, there are signs, and then Tim David comes in, plays brilliantly. Romario Shepherd, what an innings. So if you actually think about it, so many moments from RCB straightaway comes to mind that, you know what, everybody's chipped in at different times, when they were down and out," said Aaron on ESPNCricinfo. He also said that RCB didn't have a strong spin-bowling line-up on paper, but have managed to win matches. "Obviously, Josh Hazlewood, huge addition. Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) again here, brilliant. Krunal Pandya and Suyash, again, before the season, we were talking about their spin.' 'You know what, RCB doesn't have the best spin attack, but their spinners have stood up better than anybody else. It's just a story of guys stepping up more than they have stepped up before." Former Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Tom Moody stated he was very impressed with RCB's team balance in the ongoing season. "I think their squad, and particularly their playing XI or XII that they've gone with throughout the whole season has been the big difference between previous years." "It's a better balanced side, far better balanced side. It's not top heavy. There's opportunities for other players to have an impact in the game, where previously you look at RCB and it was always the top three and then you're concerned about what follows that." "But you look at their side now, it's just got a better balance to it. And their bowling attack, aside from the fact that they don't have any sort of real mystery to their spin, but their spin has dovetailed nicely into the hard work that the pace bowlers have done," he concluded.
NDTV
2 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
"I Have No Doubt": AB de Villiers' Big Virat Kohli Prediction For IPL 2025 Final
South African batting great AB de Villiers is backing "ultimate team man" Virat Kohli to play a big hand in the IPL final and lead a multi-dimensional Royal Challengers Bengaluru outfit to its maiden title in the world's biggest T20 league. Chasing a paltry 102, RCB crushed Punjab Kings by eight wickets in the first qualifier here on Thursday to storm into the final of the 2025 edition of the league. One of their biggest performers this season, Kohli (12) missed out with the bat in the one-sided game, but his former RCB teammate De Villiers is confident the Indian superstar would fire in the title clash in Ahmedabad on June 3. "The first time I saw him on the screen for PBKS vs RCB game, was when he got out of the bus, and I just saw a lot of focus in that guy. That's the typical kind of body language we're so used to seeing. "And what I love most about this is -- he didn't score runs today, but we still saw him right till the end, celebrating with the batters," De Villiers told JioHotstar. "The ultimate team man, and he looks very, very focused. Obviously, the job's not done yet, but I'm very excited to watch him play. I have no doubt in my mind he's going to play a big hand in the final," the South African added. RCB, who was one of the participating teams when the IPL began way back in 2008 with eight franchises, have never won the IPL title despite reaching the finals on three occasions in the past. De Villiers shared his thoughts about RCB's journey and their potential to win the title this time. "I think 2011 was a really good chance to win the title. Everyone talks about the 2016 season, but let's forget about the past. Where are RCB now? In another final -- 2025. It's closer than you think and smaller than you think. "So hopefully those little moments will go in RCB's favour, come the 3rd of June. It was around the auction time when I felt like RCB really got the balance right this year. It's not a one-dimensional batting line-up, not a one-dimensional bowling line-up -- there are options. "I just loved the look of that squad when I saw it come out. They found a way to gel together as a unit. As you can see, all the players individually chipped in at times, and that is a sign of a healthy environment," De Villiers said. Having missed a few games over last couple of weeks, pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood (3/21) marked his return with a brilliant exhibition of fast bowling, and RCB opener Phil Salt emphasised the importance of having the Australian in their ranks. "Josh is such a key figure for us -- not just with his bowling, because we know it's world-class and what he does time and again -- but also as part of the bowling unit, that sort of calm head out there for everybody else to lean on. It's massive. "And we've obviously got Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) as well doing the same job. So to have Josh back in the team and contributing to the bowling unit, making the observations he does, and then performing the way he did -- that's almost the cherry on top. "So pleased that he's back fit again for us." Salt said.
News18
2 hours ago
- Sport
- News18
Rajat Patidar Becomes 5th Indian To Reach IPL Final In 1st Year As Captain
Last Updated: Rajat Patidar-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Punjab Kings by 8 wickets in the first qualifier of IPL 2025 played in Mullanpur on Thursday (May 29). Rajat Patidar was appointed as Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain in February 2025, and on Thursday (May 29), he joined MS Dhoni, Anil Kumble, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya in an elite list by becoming the fifth Indian to qualify for the IPL final in his first year as captain. Under Patidar's leadership, RCB hammered Punjab Kings by 8 wickets in the first qualifier of IPL 2025, played at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh, to book a place in the summit clash of IPL 2025. Patidar won the toss and invited PBKS to bat first, after which the Shreyas Iyer-led side could only manage to post a total of 101 runs on the board in 14.1 overs. The target of 102 runs was not a tough one to chase down, and the three-time losing finalists achieved the objective in 10 overs for the loss of two wickets. Dhoni was the first Indian to reach the IPL final in his first year as captain. He achieved the feat in 2008 for the Chennai Super Kings. Anil Kumble led RCB in 2009, and he also captained the Bengaluru-based franchise to the final, but like CSK, RCB also finished as runner-up. Indians to reach IPL final in 1st year as captain Rohit was appointed as Mumbai Indians captain in the middle of IPL 2013, and he led the Mumbai-based franchise to a title win by getting the better of Dhoni's CSK in the final. Hardik Pandya equalled Rohit's feat by winning the IPL title with Gujarat Titans in 2022. After becoming only the fourth RCB captain after Kumble, Daniel Vettori and Virat Kohli to reach the IPL final, Patidar would like to enter his name in the history books on Tuesday (June 3) by becoming the first captain to win an IPL title for RCB. In the final of IPL 2025, which is scheduled to take place at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on June 3, RCB will face the winner of the second qualifier match, which will be played between Punjab Kings and the winner of the eliminator match between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians on Friday (May 30) in Mullanpur. First Published: May 29, 2025, 22:04 IST
