Hazlewood's Injury And? 3 Biggest Concerns For RCB Ahead Of IPL 2025 Playoffs

Debashis Sarangi

RCB lost to SRH last night [Source: AP]RCB lost to SRH last night [Source: AP]

On Friday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) suffered a huge setback in their quest to a top-two group-stage finish in the IPL 2025, with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defeating them by 42 runs. Chasing a mammoth target of 232 runs, RCB finished with only 189 runs on the board, losing the game by a convincing margin. 

This was RCB's fourth defeat and pushed them down to number three in the points table. As they gear up for their final game, here are three areas of concern for the Red Army before the playoffs. 

1. Josh Hazlewood's Fitness

  • Experienced Australian speedster Josh Hazlewood emerged as the linchpin of RCB's bowling attack in the IPL 2025. Hazlewood, who was purchased at a whopping price of INR 12.50 Crores, bagged 18 wickets in ten innings at a magnificent strike rate of 12. 
  • However, an unfortunate shoulder injury jeopardised his IPL 2025 journey midway through the tournament. According to the latest reports, Hazlewood is rehabilitating at Brisbane's Centre of Excellence and will likely join the RCB camp for the playoffs. 
  • It's worth mentioning that despite recovering from injuries, the fast bowlers generally take a bit of extra time to bowl at full throttle. So, it's tough to predict if Hazlewood will be as effective as he was before sustaining the injury. 
  • In such a scenario, if the Australian pacer fails to bring up his A-game, it could adversely impact RCB's IPL 2025 campaign in the playoffs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal have been the second fiddles to Hazlewood and RCB conceded 200-plus totals in the latter's absence on both occasions. 

2. Rajat Patidar's Worrying Form

Criterion
Data
Innings11
Runs257
Average23.36
Strike Rate138.17

(Rajat Patidar's stats in IPL 2025)

  • RCB captain Rajat Patidar hasn't been at his best in the IPL 2025. The MP batter had a decent start to the season, scoring flamboyant fifties against MI and CSK. 
  • However, his graph has only followed a downward trend since then. In his last seven innings, Patidar has managed only 96 runs at a horrible average of 13.71. 
  • Despite getting starts on several occasions, the RCB captain has failed to convert them into significant scores. 
  • Added to that, his finger injury meant he couldn't lead RCB, with Jitesh Sharma captaining the side against SRH. Thus, if he sustains form and fitness concerns, the Red Brigade could miss his batting as well as tactical inputs in the upcoming matches.  

3. Padikkal's Injury And The Number 3 Conundrum

  • Devdutt Padikkal was one of RCB's biggest assets before a finger injury sidelined him from the tournament. 
  • The southpaw showcased remarkable consistency at 3, forming some match-winning stands with Virat Kohli before the tournament's suspension. Statistically, he scored 247 runs at an average of 27.44 and a strike rate of 150.61 before getting injured. 
  • However, his injury meant RCB had to allot Mayank Agarwal a place in their playing XI. Agarwal had gone unsold in last year's mega auction following his meagre returns in IPL 2024 (64 runs in 4 matches, average 16, SR 112.28). 
  • Thus, Agarwal, unless his bat does the talking in the next matches, can be considered a downgrade to Padikkal, who oozed class during his RCB stint. He acted like a bridge between the anchors and the accelerators, providing solid foundations for the lower-order batters.