Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
On Tuesday, May 27, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by six wickets in the final league stage fixture of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. While the win for RCB came at a crucial juncture, confirming their second-place finish in the tournament, LSG too had its moment in the middle.
As the tournament now moves into the final stage, the playoffs, stand-in captain and wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma looked elated as he confirmed availability of a few players in the squad. The Bengaluru-based franchise is set to get a massive boost ahead of the IPL 2025 playoffs after key players like Josh Hazlewood and Tim David were unavailable for the final match of the side.
Josh Hazlewood will be back in the next game: Jitesh Sharma confirms
Speaking at the toss, RCB’s stand-in captain confirmed the return of Aussie pacer Josh Hazlewood after he missed the previous game. "Josh Hazlewood will be back in the next game," Jitesh Sharma confirmed at the toss. "He's been one of our key bowlers and it's great to have him returning at such a critical stage,” he further added.
Moreover, Jitesh Sharma also hinted at Tim David’s return, in order to strengthen the lower-middle order. It is to be noted that Hazlewood has been RCB’s key bowler this season, scalping 18 wickets in just 10 matches. However, he has been sidelined since April 27 after he was struggling with some injury. Tim David, on the other hand, has amassed 187 runs in nine innings at an average of 62.33 and a strike rate of 185.14.
In the next match, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2025 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Thursday, May 29. While the winner in this match will make their way into the final, the loser will take on the winner of Eliminator, which is set to be played between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians on May 30.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 squad
Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethel, Mayank Agarwal, Swastik Chhikara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee
