At a time when Mitchell Starc decided not to return to the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) following the one-week pause due India-Pakistan conflict and prepare for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Josh Hazlewood stated the intensity in the world’s toughest franchise league will come in handy in preparation against South Africa at Lord’s.
Both Starc and Hazlewood are a part of the Australian team for the WTC final against the Proteas, starting on June 11. Having missed a few games for RCB in IPL 2025, following a shoulder niggle, Hazlewood delivered when it mattered and played a huge part in RCB’s road to IPL 2025 final with 3/21 against Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1.
RCB, who entered an IPL final after nine years, will play either Mumbai Indians, or Punjab Kings or Gujarat Titans in the final on June 3. With no signs of rust, Hazlewood’s show against Punjab Kings was a tick mark ahead of their all-important WTC final.
“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 (WTC final) anyway,” Hazlewood said. In fact, it was the Australian’s first IPL game after April 27.
“There’s no better place than I think out in the middle, obviously you’ve got to bowl more, 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,” asserted the RCB pacer.
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