RCB pacer Josh Hazlewood blamed the Chinnaswamy pitch and poor execution for their five-wicket loss to Punjab Kings.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru fast bowler Josh Hazlewood criticised his team’s inability to learn from past mistakes after they suffered their third consecutive home defeat in the IPL 2025 season. The latest setback came against Punjab Kings, who beat RCB by five wickets in a rain-affected 14-over contest at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday.
Hazlewood pointed to an unusual surface and the batting unit’s failure to apply lessons from earlier games as the key reasons for the loss.
“Yeah, I think it’s not a typical Chinnaswamy wicket. Obviously, the bounce has always been there, but it’s in past years, it’s probably been more consistent,” said Hazlewood at the post-match press conference.
It’s worth noting that RCB mentor Dinesh Karthik had earlier expressed concerns over the quality of the pitch, stating that he would speak with the local curator following their defeat against Delhi Capitals.
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Hazlewood further acknowledged that RCB’s slow start in the powerplay proved costly once again. “Yeah, it’s obviously three (defeats) in a row now at home. It’s just we’ve probably been a bit slow on the learnings from the first two games and didn’t put that into practice as well as we could have, probably in those first probably six to eight overs, obviously, with the score the way it was,” he said.
Despite the poor run, the Australian quick remained optimistic that the team would find answers soon. “But we’ll dive into this game and, you know, probably more so when we get back to Bangalore and really go through in detail and with a fine tooth comb and come up with a few ideas of where we can learn and improve.
“I think the bowling definitely improved from the last two outings. So sort of we’re slowly getting there, but probably not quick enough,” Hazlewood added. Offering advice to his fellow batters, Hazlewood suggested a more measured approach at the crease.
“So, maybe, it might be a case of pulling back a touch and giving yourself a little bit of time. I know in the first two games we lost here it was a batter on the other team going big and getting a partnership and scoring big late in the game.
“So if we can have our top five, top six doing the batting for the 20 overs, I think that’ll go a long way to helping us win,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Punjab Kings spinner Harpreet Brar praised Nehal Wadhera for his calm approach during a tricky chase. Wadhera scored an unbeaten 33 off 19 balls, guiding PBKS home after they had slipped to 53 for 4 in pursuit of just 96 runs.
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“Nehal is a very good player. He has been playing in the IPL for the last 2-3 years. He does well domestically as well. Recently, when we won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he played very well in the knockouts. As a senior, I feel very proud,” said Brar.
Brar also had an impressive outing, claiming two wickets in two balls during the 12th over, including that of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal.
Speaking about his return to the XI, Brar added, “In small matches, you have to be on your toes. You can get an over anytime. I was ready. It was my first game of the season. I didn’t know that I would bowl in the last over.”
