A big blow just came for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Star pacer Josh Hazlewood is ruled out for the entire season of IPL 2025. The tournament is presently under a halt due to the India-Pakistan border conflict but should recommence around mid-May. When the BCCI called off IPL season 2025, Hazlewood and the other Aussie players headed back to their shores. Now that the IPL is going to resume, Hazlewood is unlikely to return to India for the last fixtures.
According to ESPNCricinfo, Hazlewood missed an important game against CSK due to a shoulder problem and is more likely to be named now, for the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s. This would imply that the IPL board might not give clearance to WTC players from Australia and South Africa for the remainder of the IPL, as their boards are more interested in keeping their players away from any risk of injury.
For the South African players, their board is convening today to decide if the players will participate in the remaining part of the IPL. If both Hazlewood and Ngidi are ruled out, that will be a serious blow for RCB, especially since they are very close to making it to the playoffs.
