Josh Hazlewood says Royal Challengers Bengaluru's back-to-back IPL title defence was powered by calm leadership, squad depth, and a collective culture that consistently produced match-winners under pressure. The Australian pace bowler was speaking after RCB's victory over Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad on 1 June 2026 — his third IPL title overall.

A Different Kind of Win

Hazlewood drew a clear distinction between this year's triumph and RCB's breakthrough 2025 title. 'That's right up there. I think obviously a little bit more relaxed within the group this year. We sort of got the monkey off the back last year in terms of a long wait for that first win,' he said after the match.

With the 2025 title having ended RCB's long wait, the 2026 campaign carried a different emotional weight — one of defending and cementing a legacy. RCB became only the third franchise in IPL history to retain the title.

Squad Depth and the 'Someone Stepped Up' Factor

The 35-year-old was emphatic about the collective nature of RCB's success. 'The group just felt calm and composed throughout the whole tournament, really. Someone stepped up when they needed to be. I think we had, again, like 10 Man of the Match awards. So amazing depth in the squad. Anyone who came in did a great job and the bowling group is pretty special,' Hazlewood said.

That spread of match-winning contributions across the roster — rather than reliance on one or two individuals — was central to RCB's consistency throughout the tournament.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: The Unsung Architect

Hazlewood reserved his highest individual praise for veteran Indian seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who finished as the tournament's second-highest wicket-taker with 28 scalps. 'I can't remember a game where he went for over 35 runs. In this day and age, it's unbelievable,' the Australian said.

Bhuvneshwar's early breakthroughs repeatedly set the tone. 'He got wickets up front in nearly every game we played and just took the heat off the rest of us. We could relax and we were bowling at numbers four and five in the powerplay. So it's pretty nice,' Hazlewood added.

Culture Built to Win

Beyond individual performances, Hazlewood pointed to the franchise's environment as a critical enabler. 'The franchise has been put together beautifully — not just the players, but the support staff as well. It's a nice, relaxed atmosphere to play your best cricket in,' he said.

He acknowledged the challenge of building cohesion given IPL's three-year retention cycles, but insisted RCB had cracked it. 'It feels like the team's quite a tight unit and we're playing for someone else other than ourselves all of the time. So it's a nice feeling,' he noted.

Can RCB Make It Three in a Row?

When asked about the prospect of a historic third consecutive IPL title in 2027 — a feat no franchise has ever achieved — Hazlewood was brief and bullish. 'Yeah, I can't see why not. Yeah, absolutely,' he said.

Whether RCB can sustain this run into 2027 will depend on retentions, auction strategy, and whether the culture Hazlewood describes can survive another squad reshuffle.