IPL 2026: Controversy arose over the decision of Player of the Match, how did Hazlewood become Player of the Match by taking one wicket instead of Rasikh who took 4 wickets?

Tezzbuzz Desk- In the 23rd match of IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by five wickets and topped the points table. This match was played on Wednesday at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where RCB bowlers performed brilliantly and laid the foundation of victory.

RCB won the toss and decided to bowl first, which its bowlers proved completely right. Lucknow team could score only 146 runs in 20 overs. All the bowlers from RCB performed disciplinedly, but the most impressive bowling was of Rasikh Salam Dar. He took four important wickets giving 24 runs in four overs.

Apart from this, Bhuvneshwar Kumar took three wickets for 27 runs, Krunal Pandya took two wickets for 38 runs and Josh Hazlewood took one wicket. On the basis of strong bowling, RCB chased the target and registered an easy victory by scoring 149 runs losing five wickets in 15.1 overs.

However, after the match, the selection of Player of the Match surprised everyone. Despite his brilliant performance, Rasikh Salam Dar did not receive this award, rather this honor was given to Josh Hazlewood. Cricket experts and fans have raised questions on this decision.

Famous commentator Aakash Chopra has also expressed displeasure over this decision. He wrote on the social media platform ‘X’ that not giving player of the match to Rasikh Salam Dar is not the right decision and called it injustice to the young player. He believes that such decisions can affect the morale of young players, especially when their performance has been decisive in the team’s victory.

Amidst this controversy, RCB’s victory has taken them to the top of the points table, but the question raised regarding the Player of the Match has now become a big topic of discussion.