![Josh Hazlewood snubbed MI great [Source: AP]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1776761859263_hazlewoodMIIPL.jpg?type=hq)
Josh Hazlewood snubbed MI great [Source: AP]
Josh Hazlewood, the Australian and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) speedster, joined his franchise for the IPL 2026 and has played in a couple of games. As RCB try to defend their maiden Indian Premier League title, they would want Hazlewood to play a huge role in the task.
In a recent conversation with Cricbuzz, Josh Hazlewood was asked to build his perfect T20 bowler, and while he named quite a few Indian pacers, he left out a big Mumbai Indians legend in Lasith Malinga.
Josh Hazlewood chooses young Indian pacers for speed
During the chat, Josh Hazlewood was asked to build the perfect T20 pacer, and the first parameter he was given was speed.
Speed is something really important for a fast bowler, and Hazlewood did not cite the likes of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, or Lockie Ferguson but rather picked two Indian pacers with raw pace.
Hazlewood noted that LSG bowler Mayank Yadav and KKR pacer Kartik Tyagi had some express speed.
He did miss a number of other young Indian pacers, like Ashok Sharma, who has clocked the fastest delivery in this IPL edition.
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Josh Hazlewood picks Pat Cummins and Kagiso Rabada for control
Josh Hazlewood was then given the parameter of length control, and he chose not to pick himself and instead chose the Australian Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins and South African pacer Kagiso Rabada instead.
Josh Hazlewood himself is one of the best T20 bowlers, who relies on Test match-length bowling to get wickets and had played a huge role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden IPL 2025 win last year. He has missed some game time as he recovered and rehabbed from an Achilles heel injury.
Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar picked; Lasith Malinga snubbed
Next, Hazlewood was asked to pick bowlers who bowled good yorkers and had amazing variations.
He decided to choose Jasprit Bumrah for the variations and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for yorkers. This was a huge snub for someone like Lasith Malinga, who is known for bowling toe-crushing yorkers in white-ball cricket and IPL.
When asked to choose a player with exceptional game awareness for a paceman, he ultimately chose himself. He did concede, though, that fast bowlers are becoming more astute and conscious of the playing conditions.
Finally, he chose Jasprit Bumrah once more for a T20 fast bowler's "aura." It appears to be true that Bumrah enjoys a great deal of fame and hype as a fast bowler.
Hazlewood’s performance for RCB in IPL 2026
Josh Hazlewood has played only three games in the IPL 2026 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as he joined the franchise late. He was under Cricket Australia’s rehab and recovery program and only came to India after receiving the green light.
In the three games in IPL 2026, Hazlewood has taken three wickets thus far, as he is being used carefully by the RCB team. On the other hand, the Virat Kohli-starred franchise sits pretty in the number 2 position in the IPL 2026 points table with 4 wins in 6 games and 8 points to their name.
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