How RCB Can Fit Both Jacob Duffy And Josh Hazlewood In IPL 2026 Playing XI

How RCB can fit both Duffy and Hazlewood in playing XI [Source: AFP]

The defending champions, RCB, started their IPL 2026 campaign with a thumping win over SRH at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. It was expected to be a close-fought match between two evenly-matched sides, but the RCB batters demolished the Sunrisers inside 16 overs as they secured the first win of IPL 2026.

While the batters have to be applauded for their stellar performance against SRH, the credit should also be given to their debutant, Jacob Duffy, without whom the win would have been impossible.

RCB's new headache ahead of remaining IPL 2026 fixtures

The Kiwi pacer was picked in the IPL 2026 mini auction, but he was expected to warm the bench, considering Josh Hazlewood was the first-choice seamer. However, an injury to Hazlewood meant that Duffy got his first opportunity, and the result was extraordinary.

On a seaming Chinnaswamy deck, the pacer wreaked havoc as he scalped 3 for 22 inside 4 overs and broke SRH’s batting backbone.

His victims were Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Nitish Kumar Reddy, as three big fish were sent back by Duffy early in the innings. With Duffy performing, RCB have a new headache on their plate: what happens when Hazlewood is back?

Will Duffy be benched when the Aussie pacer returns? Can RCB fit both players in the main XI?

Option 1: Drop Phil Salt, play two overseas pacers

Kudos to the RCB management; their batting lineup no longer relies on Virat Kohli’s brilliance, but they now have an army of quality batters (both overseas and domestic stars). In Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Rajat Patidar, and Jitesh Sharma, RCB has a plethora of quality Indian batters who can become the mainstays of any T20 side.

However, the same cannot be said about RCB’s bowling, which heavily relies on Hazlewood’s brilliance to bail them out of precarious situations.

(RCB bowlers vs SRH)

• Only Bhuvneshwar Kumar was economical against SRH in IPL 2026 opener, while the rest conceded plenty of runs.
• Romario Shepherd picked up 3 wickets, but at the same time, he went for plenty of runs. The same was the case with Suyash Sharma, Abhinandan Singh, and Krunal Pandya.

Hence, to strengthen the bowling attack, RCB could play both Hazlewood and Duffy as the two overseas players. For that to happen, the team has to compromise on its batting department.

With RCB’s Indian core better than before, the team can play a game by just playing Tim David and Romario Shepherd as the two overseas batters (Shepherd being an all-rounder), and then they can include both Duffy and Hazlewood.

As a result, the team has to bench Phil Salt to make space for two overseas bowlers. Devdutt Padikkal, who played at number 3 against SRH, can open the batting alongside Virat Kohli.

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Option 2: Drop Tim David, play Indian players as finishers

If Plan A is not suitable for RCB, there is always Plan B ready. Phil Salt was crucial in RCB’s title run in 2025, and separating him from Kohli could be a huge gamble. Hence, an alternative could be tried by the franchise.

Shepherd, for his all-around abilities, cannot be comprised. Thus, the only option remaining is Tim David. He mainly plays as a finisher for the franchise, and there are plenty of other players who can fulfil the same role.

If David is rested, there are Jitesh Sharma, Romario Shepherd, and Krunal Pandya, who can play the role of a finisher. Moreover, Venkatesh Iyer can also be slotted in the middle-order to further strengthen the batting.

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