Royal Challengers Bengaluru\u2019s new-ball pair, Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, offered \u200ba reminder on Monday that high-class bowling, with a \u200chint of assistance from the surface, can restore \u200bthe bat-ball balance in this year\u2019s \u2060Indian Premier League (IPL).<\/p>\n
The IPL has become a batter\u2019s paradise, with flat pitches and short boundaries contributing to sky-high scores and \u200cteams routinely chasing down 200-plus totals.<\/p>\n
The Impact Player rule, which allows teams to replace a \u200cbowler with a specialist batter during a match, \u200chas \u2060also contributed to what critics say is \u2060a lack of balance between bat and ball this season.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Delhi Capitals racked up 264 for two, briefly the season\u2019s highest total, \u200band yet watched helplessly \u200cas Punjab Kings pulled off a record chase with seven balls to spare.<\/p>\n
Two days later, however, on a different, livelier surface at the same Arun \u200cJaitley Stadium, Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar claimed seven wickets \u200bbetween them and bundled out Delhi for 75.<\/p>\n
Delhi lost six wickets inside four overs, \u2060a stark contrast to the batting carnage often seen during PowerPlays.<\/p>\n
Both Bengaluru seamers bowled the conventional Test match \u200clength and got the ball to swing around.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven I\u2019m surprised the way the wicket played,\u201d Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way they hit those areas and got that bit of swing, that was tremendous to see. I think the swing was normal, and \u200cthe good thing was we got early wickets and that\u2019s \u200bwhy it kept us in the driving seat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Delhi captain Axar Patel said they struggled against \u2060two world-class bowlers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey swing the ball and have done \u2060it at every ground,\u201d he added. \u201cIf our openers or one-down batters had batted one or \u200ctwo more overs, it could have been a different score or a different match. Credit to \u200bthem for the way they bowled.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Published on Apr 28, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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