Big jolt to Virat Kohli's RCB, star speedster with most wickets doubtful for return after IPL 2025 resumption

Big jolt to Virat Kohli's RCB, star speedster with most wickets doubtful for return after IPL 2025 resumption
Virat Kohli and Josh Hazlewood are seen during a practice session of Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens cricket ground in Kolkata, India, on March 20, 2025.

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Josh Hazlewood doubtful for IPL 2025.

IPL 2025 will most likely to resume from next week.

As the Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) plans to resume the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 after a temporary suspension due to a war-like situation between India and Pakistan, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will likely feature without Australia star speedster Josh Hazlewood in the remainder of the 18th season of the tournament. 

Hazlewood is currently nursing a shoulder niggle, had missed RCB's home clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 3 and was uncertain for their next fixture before the tournament was temparoraly suspended on May 9. Apart from that as the World Test Championship is on the horizon, his return to India for the IPL looks increasingly unlikely.

Hazlewood had undergone rigorous rehabilitation earlier this year to recover from a string of injuries, including a side strain and a calf issue, and was using the IPL as a platform to regain rhythm.

Despite his progress, Cricket Australia is expected to take a cautious approach. Australia will do a pre-WTC final conditioning camp scheduled in England in early June, Hazlewood is most likely to be part of the squad, and a return to the IPL appears unnecessary.

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He is not the only Australian cricketer whose IPL participation is in question. Pat Cummins and Travis Head, whose team, Sunrisers Hyderabad, are already out of the playoffs, may opt to remain in Australia to prepare for the WTC final at Lord's starting June 11. Mitchell Starc, playing for fifth-placed Delhi Capitals, may face a trickier decision, balancing team commitments with national duty.

IPL 2025 will resume next week across four venues, with the specific locations still to be finalised. The venues for the eliminator and final matches are expected to remain unchanged. The tournament will start with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Sources close to Sports Takn also confirmed that the BCCI have informed all the stakeholders about it and teams are calling back their players and support staff.  Ekana is getting ready for the match LSG team to assemble by the 13th.