A dream start for RCB in IPL 2026, and a major credit for that goes to Jacob Duffy. This New Zealand pacer, who has come in as a replacement for Josh Hazlewood, made a big impact in his team's win over SRH.

3 wickets for just 22 runs, Duffy played a crucial role in restricting SRH from a even bigger total. But it wasn't just the wickets; it was his impressive line and length and controlled pace which put the batters under pressure. He kept hitting hard lengths and didn't offer any respite.

SRH had good phases in their innings but it was Duffy's over which turned the tide. He got rid of dangerous openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head early in the innings and then added another feather to his cap in the form of Nitish Kumar Reddy. It was one of the most impact spells you'll see from a bowler.

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The pacer, playing his first match for the Challengers was picked for Rs. 2 Crore and with Josh Hazlewood not fully fit he was expected to step up to the plate. He didn't only do that; he also earned a Player of the Match award for his impressive display.

Speaking after the match, Duffy said:

“It was awesome. I’ve heard a lot of great things about Bangalore and RCB, and this was a hell of a way to start the campaign. I thought it was a pretty well-rounded team performance. I just tried to keep things fairly simple. The plan was to use the new ball, especially since it does a bit here in Bangalore. It can get tricky later on. I was lucky to pick up a few wickets early and then the skipper just kept giving me the ball. And as a bonus, I got to walk off after finishing my spell, a good day overall."

When asked about replacing Hazlewood, Duffy kept it simple and said:

“I am just keeping the big man’s seat warm! Josh had a really good season here last year, so it was about building on what he did well and trying to replicate that in my own way. I had a basic template coming into that tournament. There were a couple of tough moments, definitely a few long showers thinking things through! But this is a different kind of wicket. I haven’t seen this kind of bounce in the last couple of months. It’s not the easiest place for bowlers, so I’m just learning on the go."

RCB skipper Rajat Patidar showed immense faith in his bowler by handing him a 4th over on a trot. The bowler was happy to accept the challenge

Duffy added:

“That was the captain’s call. He just told me to go, and I was more than happy to take it on. Like I said, when the ball is new and hard here, that’s probably the best time to bowl. I was fortunate to bowl in those phases and the other guys handled the tougher overs later."

Later RCB chased down 202 in just 16 overs. They made sure the net run rate was also on their side with that big win. For one night at least, Duffy made fans forget the absence of Josh Hazlewood.