Has Shreyas Iyer been Josh Hazlewood's bunny in IPL?
What's the story
Royal Challengers Bengaluru humiliated a sorry Punjab Kings unit in Qualifier 1 of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) in Mullanpur.
The Kings were bowled out for just 101 in 14.1 overs before losing the match by eight wickets.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer also had a poor outing with the bat as Josh Hazlewood dismissed him cheaply.
Hazlewood has troubled Iyer in the past as well.
Let's decode their rivalry.
Match analysis
Iyer's rash shot selection against Hazlewood
Iyer fell for a mere two runs off three balls, after playing a risky shot off Hazlewood in the fourth over.
He edged the ball to wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma, leaving his team in a dire position at 30/3.
It was a length delivery just outside the off-stump and Iyer went for the big swing.
However, the PBKS batter was beaten by the bounce and all he could manage was a thin edge.
Rivalry
Iyer vs Hazlewood
As per ESPNcricinfo, Hazlewood has now dismissed Iyer four times from six IPL innings. The batter averages just 2.75 in this battle.
He has scored a lean 11 runs from 22 balls. 15 deliveries have been dot balls.
Only Andre Russell (5) has dismissed Iyer more times in the cash-rich league.
Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal (3) is the only other batter who has fallen to Hazlewood more than two times in IPL.
DYK
Iyer has struggled in home games
While Iyer has been brilliant on the road this season, his home-ground performance have been under par with the bat.
Across six games in Mullanpur this year, Iyer has only managed 27 runs at 5.40.
His scores at the venue read: 6(10), 0(2), 9(7), 10(5), and 2 (3).
In stark contrast, he has scored a total of 444 runs across nine away matches at 88.80, including five half-centuries. Iyer's strike rate in these games goes up to 177.60.
Stats
Iyer 's brilliant record in IPL 2025
Meanwhile, PBKS played one of their home games in Dharamsala as well. Iyer scored a 35-ball 44 in that match.
He has overall mustered 516 runs at 46.90 in IPL 2025 with his strike rate being a sensational 170.86 (50s: 5).
This makes him only the second captain in PBKS history, after KL Rahul, to score more than 500 runs in a single season.
Hazlewood
A brilliant spell from Hazlewood
After missing RCB's last four games during the league stage, Hazlewood starred for them in Qualifier 1, recording 3/21 from 3.1 overs.
Hazlewood, who took 18 scalps for RCB in their 1st 10 matches of the season, added another three to race to 21.
He averages 15.80 this season from 11 matches. This makes him a contender to win the Purple Cap this year (ER: 8.30).
Post-match reflection
Iyer reflects on PBKS's defeat in IPL 2025 Qualifier 1
Meanwhile, Iyer acknowledged that his team lost too many wickets against RCB and there's a lot to learn from this defeat.
"Not a day to forget, but got to go back to the drawing board. We lost a lot of wickets. There's a lot to go back and study on," he said after the match.
PBKS will next face the winner of Gujarat Titans-Mumbai Indians Eliminator in Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad on Sunday.