The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, recently provided an update on the fitness of Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood. Hazlewood, who has been nursing a persistent shoulder niggle for the past few weeks, is currently undergoing rehabilitation back home in Australia. Bobat confirmed that while the bowler is actively working on his recovery, there is no definitive timeline yet for his return to the IPL action.
“In Josh Hazlewood’s case, he’s been managing a shoulder niggle for a couple of weeks now. He’s still in Australia and focused on rehab to get back to full fitness. We don’t have any updates at the moment, so it’s a day-by-day situation,” Mo Bobat shared on the RCB Bold Diaries show.
As the 2025 IPL season resumes after a week-long pause due to escalating cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, RCB is preparing to take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on May 17. The disruption posed numerous challenges, particularly in terms of player security and logistics, which Bobat candidly addressed.
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“The security arrangements on such short notice were incredibly challenging. Once we received the revised schedule, there wasn’t much time to digest it and plan accordingly. Overnight, we scrambled to gather as much security information as possible so we could promptly inform our players,” Mo Bobat explained. “We had to make a quick decision about when the Indian players needed to report back to camp to minimize any disruption.”
Beyond the immediate security concerns, Bobat highlighted the extensive communication required with multiple cricket boards to ensure smooth coordination during this turbulent period.
“We were in constant contact with the ECB, Cricket Australia, Cricket South Africa, and the West Indies board to understand how the schedule changes would affect their players. Andy Flower and I held several video calls with our overseas players, walking them through security details, the revised schedule, and explaining how RCB would support them. It was crucial they felt safe and comfortable with us,” he added.
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Bobat’s insights underline the complexity of managing a franchise during uncertain times, balancing player welfare and performance priorities as RCB looks ahead to their upcoming fixtures.
