Josh Hazlewood RULED OUT of MI Clash, Former World No 1 Bowler Replaces Him

With the start of the rivalry week in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL), Royal Challengers Bengaluru are facing Mumbai Indians. The match is taking place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, which is one of the best cricket stadiums in the world. Both these sides are playing their 4th match of the ongoing season.

However, there was a big absence for RCB as veteran Australian bowler Josh Hazlewood, who has been an imperial part of their team, has been ruled out of the match and is replaced by the experienced Kiwi pacer Jacob Duffy.

Why Josh Hazlewood is Not Playing Today Against MI?

Right-arm fast-medium bowler Josh Hazlewood, who joined the Royal Challengers Bengaluru camp recently for the ongoing IPL season is not playing in the 20th match of the season. According to various media houses like News18 and India Today, there are no such reports of Josh Hazlewood injury and the pace bowler is benched due to his poor performance against the Rajasthan Royals in the previous encounter.

In that match, Josh Hazlewood conceded 44 runs in 4 overs and got thrashed by the young and dynamic opening pair of RR featuring Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Jacob Duffy has been roped in as Josh Hazlewood replacement for this match. It is to be noted that Duffy started the season for RCB and performed brilliantly when Hazlewood was unavailable. His excellent form can be crucial in this match as he can pick up wickets with the new ball.

Why Josh Hazlewood Missed First 2 Matches For RCB?

Josh Hazlewood missed Royal Challengers Bengaluru's matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings due to recovery from his hamstring and Achilles injury. The Australian international suffered an unfortunate injury which made him miss the Ashes and the ICC T20 World Cup as well.

Hazlewood was expected to play a big role in the MI vs RCB IPL 2026 match given his massive experience. However, the RCB team management preferred the in-form Jacob Duffy.

The former world number 1 pacer in T20I rankings, Jacob Duffy, completely surprised everyone with his dominant performances. In the first two matches for RCB this season, Duffy picked up 5 wickets, even winning the Player of the Match award in the season's opening encounter.

Duffy has excellent skills with the new ball, which made him the best T20 bowler in the world a few months back. He will be looking to continue his good form with the ball and will be a threat to MI's top order.