Royal Challengers Bengaluru returned to the top of the table in the TATA IPL 2026 with a five-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants. Josh Hazlewood, along with Faf du Plessis and Sanjay Bangar, shared their thoughts on the bowling plans in Bengaluru, Captain Rajat Patidar’s explosive batting, and RCB’s impressive run.
Josh Hazlewood weighed in on the win against LSG:
“We probably struggled a little bit in the first half of last year in home games. So, it's nice to win the toss and have a bowl first. It’s a slightly different wicket than what we’re used to, a little slower, probably a bit up and down. So, it’s quite tough for batting. I thought the way we chased the total down was very good to watch. All our batters are in good form and confident, and to chase the score down pretty quickly on a wicket like that is huge.”
On the bowling group’s plans:
“You don’t have to try too much. It’s very simple in planning, but it’s just about execution, and putting the ball in the right areas. Bhuvi summed up the conditions in that first over, and then there were a few field changes here and there. The communication within the bowling group, in particular, especially from Bhuvi, who bowls first up, is a real strength of ours. It’s probably why we did so well in our away games last year. I don’t have the skills of someone like Bumrah or others with slower balls, so you’ve got to make it up on the run. I keep working on a few different things in training all the time and hopefully, bring them in when we need them. In this game, it was more about being accurate, hitting the right length, even using a few cross-seam deliveries and just keeping it simple.”
Faf du Plessis praised RCB Captain Rajat Patidar’s ball-striking ability:
“The most amazing thing about Rajat is that he leads the charts in the first 10 balls, striking at around 260, which is a ridiculous number. He’s number one in the country at the moment doing so, and that takes some doing. We know he’s a good hitter, and how consistently he can strike the ball, but to be number one in those first 10 balls means that even if the opposition picks up a wicket and he comes to the crease, he starts scoring at 260 straight away.”
Sanjay Bangar reckoned that the upcoming few years might be a golden period for RCB:
“As a team, there are phases, like there was a phase for CSK and MI when they just seemed invincible. I believe that this is RCB’s time. The success that the team has had in terms of consistency, not necessarily just the championship, but having won that championship, the confidence is high. It rubs off on the management and the owners as well, and then you can go on a roll. I believe that it’s not only about winning one championship, but this could be a phase for RCB where, maybe, for three or four years in a row, they can do something really special and be in that top group of IPL teams where KKR, MI and CSK have won multiple championships. I foresee RCB sitting in that special bracket very soon.”
