Josh Hazlewood is back! RCB fans can't help but cheer; but will miss Nuwan Thushara's magic

It's the statement Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans were desperate to hear ¡ª Josh Hazlewood is back in the playing XI, and just in time for a crucial game. RCB are set to face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh.

The winner of Qualifier 1 will earn a direct spot in the final, making this a high-stakes fixture. The losing side will still have a second shot through Qualifier 2, so both teams are fully charged. For RCB fans, however, having Hazlewood back in the XI brings nothing but joy and hope.

Fans cheer

Soon after the toss that RCB won and opted to field; many took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to speak about the happiness they felt after hearing that Hazlewood is part of the game. However, they are also missing Nuwan Thushara - who played the last game and produced magic with the ball. Many wanted to see Hazelwood and Thushara bolwing together.

Not just that, some also spoke about Liam Livingstone getting another chance as Tim David is still injured.

One said, "Hazelwood back tooo OMGG."

Hazelwood back tooo OMGG. https://t.co/S8Z7N2UBtE

¡ª Sachi (@Sachi_here) May 29, 2025

Another said, "Josh Hazelwood is back in the most important match."

Josh Hazelwood is back in the most important match ??? pic.twitter.com/VZoI36Rdxw

¡ª Parijat (@Vkohlic18) May 29, 2025

One wrote, "Punjab Kings ki batting depth to no. 10 tak hai kitno ko out karna padega or aaj to Nuwan Thushara ko bhi nhi khilaya inhone." (Translation: Punjab Kings have batting depth all the way down to No. 10 ¡ª how many players will we have to get out! And today, they haven¡¯t even included Nuwan Thushara in the playing XI.)

Bc Punjab Kings ki batting depth to no. 10 tak hai ?? kitno ko out karna padega or aaj to Nuwan Thushara ko bhi nhi khilaya inhone ??? #PBKSvsRCB #Qualifier1

¡ª Dr.Deepak Jain (@Deepakjain1827) May 29, 2025

Another wrote, "Tim David is injured but why not Tim Seifert.. Why this fraud Livingston."

Tim David is injured but why not Tim seifert.. Why this fraud livingston

¡ª Amir Sohel (@AmirSoh18090260) May 29, 2025

PBKS vs RCB: Teams

Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kyle Jamieson
Impact Subs: Vijaykumar Vyshak, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan, Xavier Bartlet.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma
Impact Subs: Mayank Agarawal, Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert, Swapnil Singh.