Will Josh Hazlewood play tonight for RCB vs CSK in IPL 2026?

Josh Hazlewood picked 22 wickets in 12 matches last year for RCB.

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 saw Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) kickstart their campaign with a thumping win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Chasing 201, the home team aced the chase without breaking a sweat, showcasing their power and depth in batting.

Led by the chase master Virat Kohli, and ably supported by Devdutt Padikkal, they chased down the target with 26 balls to spare, starting IPL 2026 on a high. Playing their second match exactly a week later, the focus will be on star bowler Josh Hazlewood, who played a massive role in their maiden triumph last year.

RCB prepare for their Southern Derby clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). It will be a heated exchange, with both teams having engaged in an interesting rivalry over their previous few meetings. While historically CSK has had the upper-hand, RCB has managed to wipe off the deficit in the past few seasons.

Will Josh Hazlewood play tonight for RCB vs CSK in IPL 2026?

Josh Hazlewood has not played a professional match this year, and had missed the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026 due to injury. He arrived on the eve of RCB’s opening clash against SRH, but did not compete as he wasn’t 100% match fit.

Jacob Duffy, in his absence, more than stepped up and bowled his entire quota of overs up front and picked three huge wickets. Fast forward to a week since that match, Hazlewood was spotted in the practice sessions at Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.

According to reports, he bowled to Virat Kohli as well in the nets, potentially indicating the Aussie fast bowler’s return to the playing XI. Should Hazlewood return to the team, it will be a huge headache for the management to decide the combination.

It will be harsh to drop Duffy after his heroics from the first match. At the same time, Romario Shepherd offers valuable contributions with both bat and ball, while the other two overseas options in Phil Salt and Tim David are virtually undroppable. It might seem that RCB will play both overseas quicks and an extra batter for Shepherd, which would significantly bolster their bowling arsenal.

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