Josh Hazlewood has once again proven why he is the world's premier bowler in white-ball finals, spearheading Royal Challengers Bengaluru's successful defence of their Indian Premier League crown with another magnificent display in their triumph over Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
Hazlewood's fellow Australian Tim David also played a crucial role in RCB's successful pursuit on Sunday, helping Virat Kohli, the peerless chase master, in a key partnership as they secured a five-wicket victory with 12 balls remaining.
Kohli remained unbeaten on 75 off 42 balls, steering RCB to their target of 5-161. However, his embrace of fellow veteran Hazlewood underscored just how much the 35-year-old had earlier contributed to pave the way for his remarkable eighth consecutive victory in a white-ball final.
Indeed, Hazlewood is yet to lose a final. "That was right up there," said Hazlewood of his third IPL triumph, having taken 15 wickets in the tournament and joining RCB belatedly after recovering from injuries. "Someone always stepped up when they needed to. We had like 10 different man-of-the-match winners, so amazing depth in the squad. Anyone who came in did a great job."
Including him, of course. After being asked to bowl first, the Australian spearhead lit the fuse in his opening over, dismissing India Test captain Shubman Gill with his second ball to put Gujarat's batting line-up, coached by Matthew Hayden, under immediate pressure.
With his strike partner Bhuvneshwar Kumar impressing once again with figures of 2-29 and fellow pacer Rasikh Salam taking 3-27, Hazlewood rose to the occasion in front of more than 100,000 fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium to take 2-37, also removing the dangerous Arshad Khan.
Although Washington Sundar took some late runs off Hazlewood to reach an unbeaten half-century and give Gujarat a fighting chance at 8-155, there was an inevitability about the outcome once 37-year-old Kohli began his serene innings.
His 68th IPL fifty, to go with his nine centuries, was his fastest half-century. The knock featured three sixes and nine fours. When RCB slipped to 4-91, David helped steady the ship in a 41-run partnership that all but sealed the triumph.
David scored 24 off 17 before being caught behind, ending his season with 305 valuable finishing runs at a strike-rate of 188. Kohli finished the job, totalling 675 runs for the season at an average of 56.25.
Kohli finished fourth in the list of top run-scorers. The amazing 15-year-old Rajasthan batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi claimed the orange cap with 776 runs, including an incredible 72 sixes. The teenager also won the tournament MVP award.
"It's amazing," Kohli said. "Just to have a group of guys where you feel like you're stepping onto the ground, you don't need to be the one to step up every time. There's guys behind you, around you, who can win games of cricket for you. We have so many man of the match awards spread throughout the group as well — you look at world-class bowling like Hoff, Bhuv, Duff. Krunal Pandya, you can bank on him as good as ever. Rasikh Dar was brilliant this season. All the batsmen chipped in as well. I feel so happy to play in a group where we have balance, we have strength and we are an all-round strong team. That's why we have the confidence we have on the field right now."
Hazlewood's extraordinary white-ball finals record includes victories in the 2012 Champions League T20, 2015 World Cup, 2020 BBL, 2021 IPL, 2021 T20 World Cup, 2023 World Cup, 2025 IPL, and now the 2026 IPL. His performances in these finals have been consistently outstanding, with figures such as 3-21, 2-29, 2-30, 2-29, 3-16, 2-60, 1-54, and 2-37 respectively.
