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After a wonderful bowling partnership with veteran India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026, Australian pace bowler Josh Hazlewood admits bowling with Bhuvneshwar is similar to bowling with Australia teammates Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is among the most lethal bowlers of IPL 2026. This swing bowler is currently holding the Purple Cap with 22 wickets in 12 matches. Control at the top with the new ball and a calm finish at the death helped RCB have a successful campaign.

Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar have provided one of the most well-balanced fast bowling attacks in the competition with their contrasting techniques. Bhuvneshwar's swing and control match perfectly with Hazlewood's bounce and hard lengths.

Hazlewood said :

"It's a little bit like bowling with Patty [Pat Cummins] and Starcy [Mitchell Starc] for Australia. Bhuvi probably pitches it up a bit more and swings the ball. I can hit the seam and get a bit of bounce. It's nice to have balance in your attack. Last year and this year we've had a nice mix." 

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Hazlewood proud to make a fightback in conditions bowling is tough. He said he enjoys bowling in those matches where bowlers have to fight their way back after having a bad outing.

Hazlewood added :

"If you're bowling on a flat wicket and go for 2 for 40 while everyone else goes for 50 or 60, I think those are the satisfying games. But when the batting side is dominant and your first over goes for 20, and then you fight back with yorkers or changes of pace and finish with decent figures, those are the games I'm probably most proud of." 

He also speaks on the balance of RCB's bowling attack in this tournament. He appreciates bowlers such as Rasikh Salam, Suyash Sharma, and Krunal Pandya.

Hazlewood Concluded :

"We don't have Yash [Dayal] this year with the left-arm angle, but Rasikh [Salam] has stepped into that role nicely. Then we've got a legspinner [Suyash Sharma] and a left-arm spinner [Krunal Pandya]. It feels a bit like Australia-every base is covered. If you've got three bowlers of the same style, the batter can get a pretty good read on what's happening. Different skills and different styles make it harder," 

Balance of RCB's bowling attack is one of the factors behind their remarkable season in IPL 2026.