Josh Hazlewood will play his first match of the IPL 2026 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Rajasthan Royals at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati on Friday.

Hazlewood replaced Jacob Duffy in the playing XI, RCB captain Rajat Patidar confirmed at the toss. Hazlewood is the only change in RCB’s eleven.

The Australian pacer was nursing hamstring and Achilles problems for which he missed the Ashes series as well as the T20 World Cup 2026 for Australia.

The last time Hazlewood played a professional match was in November 2025 in a shield game for New South Wales against Victoria. His last international match was against India in the T20I series in October.

The Royals captain Riyan Parag won the toss and opted to bowl in rain-hit game.

Published on Apr 10, 2026