Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 26 (ANI): Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has officially joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) camp ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.

The development was confirmed by the Bengaluru-based franchise on their social handles. The addition of Hazlewood is seen as a significant boost to RCB's bowling attack, especially with his experience and success in both domestic and international cricket.

https://x.com/RCBTweets/status/2037214082450022465?s=20

However, the defending champions RCB will be without star pacer Hazlewood at the start of the tournament, as the Australian continues to recover from hamstring and Achilles injuries.

The right-arm speedster also missed the home Ashes series against England last year. Hazlewood was also ruled out of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Hazlewood was one of the overarching reasons for RCB's maiden IPL title win, as he claimed 22 wickets in 12 matches for the franchise at an average of 17.54.

Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced the schedule for the second phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

The BCCI confirmed that the venues for the Playoffs will be announced at a later date.

The remainder of the league stage, comprising 50 matches, will be played from April 13 to May 24, across 12 venues in India.

Matches in the second phase will be held in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Dharamsala, Raipur and New Chandigarh, according to an official statement by the IPL website.

Earlier, the BCCI had announced the schedule for the first phase of the IPL 2026, to be played from March 28 to April 12.

The tournament opener will be played with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues in the first-phase of the IPL. The venues are Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. (ANI)