Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) started their title defense with a 6-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the season opener, thanks to a brilliant start from New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy. The Kiwis took 3 important wickets of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Kumar Reddy in their four overs, while conceding only 22 runs.

While the Chinnaswamy Stadium had already got a new favorite in Duffy, Who did more than just fill in for Josh Hazlewood who has yet to be clearedRCB captain Rajat Patidar praised the New Zealand fast bowler for taking advantage of the opportunity. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Patidar stressed that both he and the team management had full confidence in Duffy’s T20 bowling abilities.

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“As we all know, he is a specialist T20 bowler,” RCB captain Rajat Patidar said in the post-match press conference. “We have a lot of confidence in him and that’s why we have given him a chance. The way he has been performing well and showing his skills, I think it was tremendous.”

How Duffy stole the show in RCB vs SRH

Duffy, who had endured a tough outing in the T20 World Cup final against India just three weeks before the IPL opener where he took 0 for 42 from three overs, decided to stick to his strengths.

“I tried to keep things quite simple,” Duffy said after receiving player of the match for his powerful opening spell. “The plan was to use the new ball, especially since it works a bit in Bengaluru. We talked a lot about the length and what works on this surface.”

While Duffy’s spirited debut was the story of the daySome credit for RCB’s bowling performance against SRH also goes to Hazlewood himself. Duffy himself has acknowledged the stature of the Australian fast bowler, who is currently working his way back to full fitness after battling a hamstring injury and Achilles problems that ruled him out of the domestic Ashes and the recent T20 World Cup.

“Josh Hazlewood had a really good season here last year, so it was about taking what he did well and trying to replicate it in his own way,” Duffy said.

Despite not being available for selection, Hazlewood played an important role behind the scenes after joining the team ahead of the opener.

“In the last practice session before the game, I think Hazlewood spent a lot of time with the fast bowlers and his inputs definitely helped him (in his performance against SRH),” Patidar said during his press conference.

Duffy’s impressive spell, which included key wickets of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Kumar Reddy, ensured that SRH could never fully recover from the early shock. His ability to hit tough lengths, gain bounce and make quick adjustments when put under pressure came to the fore, giving RCB not only a short-term replacement but also a genuine bowling option when Hazlewood returned.

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