Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are the most potent fast-bowling pair this Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
On flat wickets, they have been more than a handful, and on bowling-friendly decks, they have been bad dreams for batsmen. Bowling with the new ball or bowling at the death, there has not been anything they haven’t executed to a tee.
And Hazlewood, who missed a few matches at the start as he was recovering from injuries, is awfully impressed with his Indian bowling partner. In what can only be considered the greatest compliment, the tall Australian pacer says that bowling with Bhuvneshwar so far has been like bowling with his national captain Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, one of the greatest left-arm quicks the game has ever seen.
“It’s a little bit like bowling with Patty [Pat Cummins ] and Starcy [Mitchell Starc] for Australia. Bhuvi probably pitches it up a little more and swings the ball. I can hit the seam and get a bit of bounce. It’s nice to have balance in your attack. Last year and this year we’ve had a nice mix,” ESPNcricinfo reported Hazlewood as saying.
Bhuvneshwar is a major Purple Cap contender this season with 22 wickets in 12 matches. He is right at the top of the list at present. Hazlewood, on the other hand, has 11 wickets in nine games.
Hazlewood, who is just five wickets away from reaching 300 wickets in Tests, speaks about how satisfying it is when he stages a comeback after giving away runs initially. All champion bowlers will echo that.
“If you’re bowling on a flat wicket and go for 2 for 40 while everyone else goes for 50 or 60, I think those are the satisfying games.
“When things are going your way, like the Delhi game this year with Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] and me, it’s honestly not that difficult. You’re just bowling good balls, and you’ve earned that momentum.
“But when the batting side is dominant and your first over goes for 20, and then you fight back with yorkers or changes of pace and finish with decent figures, those are the games I’m probably most proud of,” Hazlewood explained.
‘It feels a bit like Australia’
Hazlewood also said something that’s going to please all the people who played their role in picking the squad for the 2026 season. “We don’t have Yash [Dayal] this year with the left-arm angle, but Rasikh [Salam] has stepped into that role nicely. Then we’ve got a legspinner [Suyash Sharma] and a left-arm spinner [Krunal Pandya].
“It feels a bit like Australia – every base is covered. If you’ve got three bowlers of the same style, the batter can get a pretty good read on what’s happening. Different skills and different styles make it harder,” the 35-year-old complimented the franchise.
Table toppers RCB are back in action today as they take on Punjab Kings at Dharamsala.
