Josh Hazlewood has often been troubled by injuries, but when he is available, his presence carries huge significance.

On Wednesday at the Chinnaswamy in Bengaluru, the Australia fast bowler produced another masterful display in the IPL to take Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the top of the league.

The quick, whose workload has been carefully managed through his campaign with defending champions RCB, showed why his team thinks he is “worth his weight in gold” as his brilliance earned him the Man of the Match award in their five-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants.

The 35-year-old took 1/20, crippling LSG’s strokeplayers in the Powerplay, and also had LSG skipper Rishabh Pant retired hurt after rapping him on the elbow.

“It’s been a bit of a long run the last few months,” Hazlewood, who’s had to battle Achilles and hamstring
injuries and missed the T20 World Cup, said.

“I got the rust out last game against Rajasthan (when he got clouted by
wonder boy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi), but felt much better today (Wednesday). It feels I’m in good shape.”

Hazlewood emphasised the importance of assessing conditions early and adjusting plans accordingly. “Got to look at who you are playing against, conditions play a part, slow wicket today, just had to whack that length,” Hazlewood said.

He also highlighted his ongoing work on variations, particularly slower deliveries, to stay effective in T20 cricket. “I’d like to have a few funky deliveries... always working on those slower balls... keep moving forward.

“I don’t have the skills of someone like Bumrah or others with slower balls, so you’ve got to make it up on the run. I keep working on a few different things in training all the time, and hopefully, bring them in when we need them. In this game, it was more about being accurate, hitting the right length, even using a few cross-seam deliveries, and just keeping it simple,’ Hazlewood said.

Speaking on JioHotstar, Hazlewood said the conditions were slightly different and required a more controlled approach, especially after RCB opted to bowl first.

‘We probably struggled a little bit in the first half of last year in home games. So it’s nice to win the toss and have a bowl first. It’s a slightly different wicket than what we’re used to, a little slower, probably a bit up and down. So, it’s quite tough for batting.

“I thought the way we chased the total down was very good to watch. All our batters are in good form and confident, and to chase the score down pretty quickly on a wicket like that is huge,’ Hazlewood said.

He also credited Bhuvneshwar Kumar for guiding the attack in the early overs.

‘You don’t have to try too much. It’s very simple in planning, but it’s just about execution, and putting the ball in the right areas. Bhuvi summed up the conditions in that first over... The communication within the bowling group, especially from Bhuvi, who bowls first up, is a real strength of ours,’ he said.