Rise of Dar, return of Hazlewood boosts Bengaluru’s bowling unit

BENGALURU: The return of Josh Hazlewood and the rise of Rasikh Dar have given Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s bowling unit real depth and helped ​the defending Indian Premier League champions move top of the standings ‌with a win over Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday.

Bengaluru defeated Lucknow by five wickets to draw level on eight points with Rajasthan Royals, edging ahead on net run-rate.

While veteran batter Virat ​Kohli remains the headline act and is the leading IPL run-scorer this ​season with 228 runs, it is the depth of the bowling ⁠unit that has underpinned Bengaluru’s early consistency.

Australia quick Hazlewood struggled with hamstring ​and Achilles injuries last year and missed the Twenty20 World Cup, but after being eased ​back slowly into Bengaluru’s campaign he is starting to look sharper, vice-captain Jitesh Sharma said.

“He’s got rest, so he becomes quicker, fitter. He’s very confident about his body now,” he ​told reporters.

“He has worked really hard on his injury and he’s like a ​more improved player than last year.”

Hazlewood’s comeback has coincided with the emergence of uncapped pacer ‌Dar, ⁠who was signed for 60 million Indian rupees ($643,245) ahead of the 2025 season as a long-term investment.

Dar featured only twice during last year’s title run, with Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal the established pace options.

Against Lucknow, Dar rewarded that ​patience, combining with ​Hazlewood on a ⁠dry surface to deny Lucknow any early momentum and returning figures of 4-24.

Hazlewood complemented the effort with a miserly 1-20, ​while Krunal Pandya provided control through the middle overs.

“He (Dar) has ​worked a ⁠lot on yorkers and slower ones. He knew the IPL was around the corner and how one has to be perfect to play with a certain intensity,” ⁠said Jitesh.

“Errors ​will be there, so you practice so much ​that it becomes muscle memory. That’s what helps you perform under pressure.”