Ahmedabad, June 1 (IANS) Josh Hazlewood believes Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s successful IPL title defence was built on composure, squad depth and a team-first culture, as the Australian fast bowler celebrated his third IPL victory following RCB’s win over Gujarat Titans in the 2026 final.

Having helped Bengaluru become only the third franchise in league history to retain the title, Hazlewood said this year’s triumph felt different from the breakthrough success of 2025.

“That’s right up there. I think obviously a little bit more relaxed within the group this year. We sort of got the monkey off the back last year in terms of a long wait for that first win,” the pacer said after the win.

According to the Australian quick, the defending champions never appeared rattled throughout the campaign and consistently found match-winners in crucial moments.

“But I think the group just felt calm and composed throughout the whole tournament, really. Someone stepped up when they needed to be. I think we had, again, like 10 Man of the Match awards. So amazing depth in the squad. Anyone who came in did a great job and the bowling group is pretty special,” he added.

Hazlewood reserved special praise for fellow pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose consistency with the new ball helped shape RCB’s title-winning season. The veteran Indian seamer finished as the tournament’s second-highest wicket-taker with 28 scalps. “I can’t remember a game where he went for over 35 runs. In this day and age, it’s unbelievable.”

Hazlewood said Bhuvneshwar’s ability to strike early regularly eased the burden on the rest of the attack.

“He got wickets up front in nearly every game we played and just took the heat off, I think, the rest of us. We could relax and, you know, we were bowling at numbers four and five in the powerplay. So it’s pretty nice,” the Aussie quick said.

The 35-year-old also highlighted the role of the franchise’s management and support staff in building a winning environment.

“Yeah, I think the franchise has been put together beautifully. You know, not just the players, but I think the support staff as well. Again, it’s a nice, relaxed atmosphere to play your best, to try and play your best cricket in and perform,” the pace ace stated.

For Hazlewood, the strongest quality within the squad is the bond shared by the group.

“I think it’s hard to build that culture so quickly when the team changes quite a bit every three years, but it feels like we’ve got that now. Obviously, winning helps, but it just feels like the team’s quite a tight unit and we’re playing for someone else other than ourselves all of the time. So it’s a nice feeling,” he mentioned.

And when asked whether RCB can chase a third consecutive title in 2027, a feat that no team has ever achieved in the tournament’s history, Hazlewood’s answer was brief and confident. “Yeah, I can’t see why not. Yeah, absolutely,” he opined.

–IANS

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