Josh Hazlewood and Glenn Maxwell enjoyed contrasting fortunes in Pune but both were on the losing side as a poor batting display cost Bangalore victory
Match Report:
ScorecardHazlewood fires, Maxwell misses out as RCB demolished
Josh Hazlewood has provided one of the only shining lights for Royal Challengers Bangalore as they went down to new Indian Premier League leaders Rajasthan Royals by 29 runs.
Chasing a modest 145 for victory in Pune, RCB folded for 115 in 19.3 overs with their Australian No.4 Glenn Maxwell dismissed for a first-ball duck.
Hazelwood took 2-19 in four overs, snaring the crucial wicket of in-form English destroyer Jos Buttler – who had hit back-to-back centuries in his previous two IPL innings – for eight, along with the important scalp of Kiwi Daryl Mitchell (16), as Rajasthan were restricted to 8-144 from their 20 overs.
Sri Lankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga also collected 2-25 in his four overs that looked to set RCB on course for victory before Rajasthan's Riyan Parag smashed 18 runs from the final over of the innings that changed the momentum of the match.
Parag finished unbeaten on 56 from 31 balls, with his three fours and four sixes rescuing Rajasthan from a disastrous 8-121.
Image Id: D6AFF6EE159B4E8397DF5AE1BCDC7FC7 Image Caption: Virat Kohli was promoted to the top of the order but was out for another low score // BCCI-SportzpicsVirat Kohli, who came into the match on the back of successive ducks, hit Trent Boult for two fours but was bounced out in the second over by Prasidh Krishna for nine.
Nevertheless, RCB appeared well-placed at 1-37 after the six-over power play.
But three balls later they were 3-37 as Faf du Plessis fell for 23 and Maxwell, who earlier conceded just four runs from his solitary over, was caught at slip for a golden duck.
RCB never recovered, slumping to 6-72 before being dismissed for 115 with Kuldeep Sen taking 4-20 and Ravichandran Ashwin 3-17.
Rajasthan's sixth win in eight games lifted them top of the IPL table with 12 points as they hold better net run-rate than the Gujarat Lions, while Bangalore sit fifth with five wins from nine games.
Hazlewood now has 10 wickets from five matches with an impressive economy rate of 7.15, comfortably the best performed Australian bowler of the tournament so far.
The 2022 Indian Premier League will be broadcast live in Australia on Fox Sports and live streamed on Kayo
Australians in IPL 2022
Delhi Capitals: Mitchell Marsh, David Warner
Gujarat Titans: Matthew Wade
Kolkata Knight Riders: Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch
Lucknow Super Giants: Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye
Mumbai Indians: Tim David, Daniel Sams, Riley Meredith
Punjab Kings: Nathan Ellis
Rajasthan Royals: Nathan Coulter-Nile
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood, Jason Behrendorff