Josh Hazlewood was the highest wicket-taker for RCB last season.
After missing out on participating in the home Ashes series, star Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Josh Hazlewood was all set to join Australia’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. But a delayed hamstring strain recovery, which the bowler had sustained during a Sheffield Shield match in November 2025, saw him getting ruled out of the entire 20-over tournament.
Notably, Hazlewood had played a pivotal role in the Men in Red’s maiden title-winning campaign. With 22 wickets in 12 matches, the 35-year-old was the team’s highest wicket-taker of the IPL 2025.
Now, the fans are worried about will Josh Hazlewood be fit to play in the IPL 2026 for RCB? The answer is yet to be known. But let’s explore three seam-bowling options whom the reigning champions could consider to rope in their squad if the experienced Australian player fails to take part in the 19th edition of the league.
The Australian right-arm fast bowler could join the RCB IPL 2026 squad as a replacement for his fellow national player, Hazlewood. Riley Meredith has enjoyed a decent season in the BBL 2025-26, snaring 14 scalps in 12 fixtures at an economy of 9.57.
Moreover, he also holds prior experience of playing in the mega T20 league. The player has previously represented the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Mumbai Indians (MI) across three editions and registered 19 wickets in his 18 appearances.
The seamer had made the headlines with an excellent show in South Africa’s premier T20 league, the SA20 2026. The Paarl Royals (PR) bowler snared a jaw-dropping 20 wickets in just nine matches to become the leading wicket-taker of the season.
His heroics also included a four and five-wicket hauls each in the tournament at an economy of 9.13. However, despite the brilliant stats, Ottneil Baartman could not manage to enter South Africa’s 15-member squad for the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. But he had an impressive outing on Indian soil, scalping five wickets in three T20Is in December 2025, including a four-fer in the series opener.
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The Zimbabwean pacer shocked the cricket fraternity with a match-winning four-wicket haul against Australia in the T20 World Cup 2026. While defending a total of 169, the seamer conceded only 17 runs in his four-over quota and picked up the key wickets of Josh Inglis, Tim David, Matt Renshaw, and Adam Zampa to script a major upset in the tournament’s history.
Previously, he had also scalped three crucial wickets in their first match against Oman. Notably, Blessing Muzarabani was part of RCB’s squad last season after being signed as a temporary replacement for Proteas player Lungi Ngidi. The bowler is carrying on a red-hot form in the tournament and could be a great option for the franchise to rope into their IPL 2026 squad.
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