Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Josh Hazlewood believes the current trend of high scores in the IPL can actually benefit bowlers by increasing pressure on batters to maintain an aggressive scoring rate.
Key Points
- Josh Hazlewood believes the pressure to score big in IPL T20 matches can benefit bowlers.
- Hazlewood notes that stifling batters for a short period can create immense pressure, leading to wickets.
- He acknowledges the Power Play as the most challenging time to bowl due to batters' aggression.
- Hazlewood is working on variations to deceive batters, focusing on confusing them with changes in delivery.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacer Josh Hazlewood said teams' search for big totals in the IPL could work in favour of bowlers as even a little quiet passage can upset the batters' rhythm and focus.
The 200-mark has been breached 21 times in 24 matches in the IPL so far, often batters putting bowling attacks to the sword.
"I think it's definitely nice for the crowds to watch balls flying into the stands. From a bowler's point of view, it almost takes the pressure off a little bit because the batsmen are expected to get off to good starts," Hazlewood told reporters ahead of RCB's home match against Delhi Capitals on Saturday.
"They're expected to score big runs, they're expected to get 230 runs probably every T20 innings they play."
Capitalising on Batter Pressure in IPL
The Australian quick said if the bowlers can stifle the batters even for a short passage, it can add pressure on them, eventually leading to a wicket or two.
"So, if you can get a batter two off six balls, the pressure that they're under in that situation is huge. You can just see a player almost melt out there in the middle, they just cannot find the gap, cannot find the boundary.
"I feel like that's the biggest pressure in the game now. So I think it almost releases the pressure (on bowlers) a little bit," he said.
The Challenge of Power Play Bowling
But Hazlewood conceded that operating in the Power Play has grown into a bigger challenge because of the newfound aggression of batters.
"The power play I feel is probably the hardest time to bowl now. I feel like that's a really difficult part and it's probably just getting the balance right between trying to get the batter out and trying to restrict him," he said.
"It is as opposed to maybe five years ago when you could really just settle in and try and get him out for the majority of the six overs. So, the game's always changing. It's a nice challenge to have I think."
Hazlewood's Strategy: Deception and Hard Lengths
One way to meet that challenge is to work on the bowling, and possibly add some new deliveries to flummox the batters.
On his part, Hazlewood has been working on ways to deceive the batters.
"I probably don't have a great slow ball, so it's just about trying to confuse the batter as best I can, whether that's showing it (ball) and bowling it or showing it and not bowling it. So, it's a little bit of a cat and mouse out there.
"Some batters are probably watching closer than others and some are just reacting to what's coming down. So, I guess that's another part of it, trying to read the batter and trying to stay one step ahead.
"So yeah, it's good fun, battles out there and occasionally you come up against guys from your own country, so yeah, it's good fun," he detailed.
But all that without sacrificing his natural strength of bowling hard lengths.
"I think at the same time you rely on your strengths first and foremost. So, obviously my strength is hitting the length, hitting it hard, it's not floating the ball up, it's not digging it in so it's making it hard for the batter to hit me off that length.
"If you're on a nice glassy looking wicket and everything's coming onto the bat nicely then probably things have to change and you try a few different things on those particular occasions," he noted.
RCB's Balanced Bowling Attack
Hazlewood then stressed on the variety in RCB bowling ranks as an important reason behind them doing well in IPL 2026.
"I think our attack is a great balanced attack, everyone's a little bit different. It's probably similar to our Aussie attack in some regards, everyone just brings a little different skill set to the table and I find that here with our two spinners as well.
"So yeah, it feels like we've got every base covered and I like to learn off the other guys at training as well, so that's probably about nailing down your strengths," he added.
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