New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy shared his excitement about sharing the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) dressing room with experienced players like Virat Kohli and Josh Hazlewood. Duffy said that it will be a strange experience in the dressing room during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.
RCB signed Duffy for his base price of Rs 2 crore in the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi. The New Zealand fast bowler has not made his IPL debut yet. Duffy has taken 189 wickets in 167 T20 matches at an average of 24.91 and an economy rate of 8.47. He is currently representing New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2026.
It will be a strange experience – Jacob Duffy on sharing the dressing room with Virat Kohli
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Jacob Duffy said that playing with Josh Hazlewood will give him an opportunity to learn. Duffy also said that he has only seen Virat Kohli from the opposition team before and is excited to share the dressing room with him.
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Jacob Duffy said, “I’ll be playing with Josh Hazlewood, who I’ve always admired, so I’m looking forward to getting in his ear and seeing what it’s all about, what he’s about and how he does his thing.”
“I have seen Virat from the other side and how the locals treat him. It will be incredible to see what really happens in his changing room. It will be a bizarre experience, I’m sure.”
Jacob Duffy set to play big role as Josh Hazlewood’s fitness remains uncertain
Jacob Duffy had an excellent 2025 season and took 81 wickets across all formats. He is set to be a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s pace unit along with Josh Hazlewood.
Hazlewood’s availability remains uncertain after missing the T20 World Cup due to injury. If the Australian is not fully fit for IPL 2026, Duffy is expected to play a bigger role and lead the pace attack.
RCB has flexibility in its overseas combinations. They can field both the fast bowlers together along with Phil Salt and Tim David in some matches. In T20Is, the 31-year-old has taken 62 wickets in 47 matches at an average of 19.58 and an economy of 7.96, including five four-wicket hauls.
RCB enters IPL 2026 as defending IPL champions
Royal Challengers Bangalore ended their long wait for the IPL title in 2025 by defeating Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a thrilling final. The franchise had previously reached the finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016 but fell short on each occasion.
Ahead of IPL 2026, RCB retained most of their title-winning core, while also adding new faces in the auction to further strengthen the squad for the upcoming season.
The year 2026 already brings more success for the franchise. In the Women’s Premier League (WPL), RCB won the title for the second time by defeating Delhi Capitals (DC) in the final. RCB became the only franchise to win both IPL and WPL titles at the same time.
