Josh Hazlewood, the right-arm fast bowler, is on track to make his return to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the playoffs of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. This comes after he completed rehabilitation for a shoulder issue in Australia, as reported by a sports news outlet.

Following a brief hiatus, Hazlewood returned to Australia and has been training in Brisbane in preparation for the World Test Championship final against South Africa.

The bowler missed RCB's recent match against the Chennai Super Kings, but he has been impressive this season, ranking as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2025 with 18 wickets from 10 games, boasting an average of 17.28.

RCB has shown strong performance this season, securing victories in eight out of their eleven matches. They are set to compete against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Lucknow on Friday, followed by their final league match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). A top-two finish is still achievable, and the team is optimistic that new players will bolster their lineup.

The venues for the IPL 2025 playoffs were announced recently. Qualifier 1 is scheduled to take place in New Chandigarh on May 29, featuring the top two teams, followed by the Eliminator on May 30.

In addition to the New PCA Stadium, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, recognized as the largest cricket stadium globally, will host Qualifier 2 on June 1 and the grand final on June 3.

The current squad for Royal Challengers Bengaluru includes: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Rajat Patidar (captain), Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Blessing Muzarabani, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Liam Livingstone, Swapnil Singh, Philip Salt, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood, and Nuwan Thushara.