IPL 2026 auction: Hazlewood's injury woes concern RCB; potential backup options to target

Hazlewood and Jacob Duffy - (Source: AFP)

Australian cricket are sweating in panic as there are reports that Josh Hazlewood might miss the entire Ashes. Notably, the right-arm seamer was not a part of the opening match in Perth because of a hamstring injury a couple of weeks ago during a Sheffield Shield game against Victoria.

Hazlewood is an injury-prone cricketer and has a long history of missing cricket because of his tryst with injury. Not just Cricket Australia, but RCB are also sweating hard in panic because of Hazlewood's recent injury, as the right-arm seamer was an integral part of the Rajat Patidar-led side in title-winning 2025 season. 

Hazlewood was their top bowler and picked up 22 wickets in 12 innings, which earned him the moniker of 'HazleGod'. However, the fans are worried as RCB's bowling unit looks pale and weak without Hazlewood.

Thus, the Challengers should not be complacent and act quickly by bringing in key back-ups to help them in case the Australian seamer might face a few injury issues in the upcoming season as well.

Potential backups for Josh Hazlewood

Notably, RCB have 16.4 crores left in their purse, which means they can't go after fancy bowlers during the auction.

1. Jacob Duffy

One of the front-runners to replace Josh Hazlewood is New Zealand star bowler Jacob Duffy. The 31-year-old has never featured in the cash-studded league, but is doing exceptionally well in the shortest format of the game.

Notably, Duffy is the leading taker in 2025 with 35 wickets in 20 innings among full-member nations. Thus, franchises will be interested in bringing in Duffy and RCB too should target the Kiwi as he is likely to be a bargain buy and won't even hurt RCB's purse value.

Let's look at detailed stats of Jacob Duffy's year in numbers

2. Gerald Coetzee

Gerald Coetzee rose to fame with the 2023 ODI World Cup, but has been out of the scheme of things since then because of his knack for picking up injuries. However, the Proteas star bowler is yet to explore his full potential and can be a great buy for Bengaluru.

Notably, Coetzee did well during his time in India, and since he has the knack of picking up wickets in the sub-continent, teams might be interested in him.

Let's look at detailed stats of Gerald Coetzee's year in numbers

3 . Spencer Johnson

Spencer Johnson too has struggled with injuries but the left-arm seamer is assured of returning to peak fitness in December and has three months to prove his mettle and convince franchises to invest in him for the upcoming season.

Johnson has done well for Australia in the shortest format of the game, but KKR decided to release him after his stint with the three-time winners was cut-short because of injury and lack of opportunities.

Notably, Spencer is yet to play a T20I this year, but he can be a great bargain buy for the upcoming season and prove to be a valuable addition to the team.

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