"There’s a genuine fear": Dale Steyn reveals ‘hard length’ secret behind Bhuvneshwar, Hazlewood, Archer’s IPL dominance

The ongoing TATA Indian Premier League (TATA IPL 2026) is throwing up surprises every single day, but whatever happened at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on the night of April 27 left everyone completely shocked. The night was completely dominated by Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Just two days after a high-scoring thriller at the same ground in Delhi, fans witnessed a complete collapse of the home team—Delhi Capitals. They had scored 264 runs against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their previous IPL 2026 game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 25.

Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar destroy DC in shocking batting collapse vs RCB

But in their next clash, Delhi Capitals got completely blown away, as Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowlers ripped through their batting lineup like a storm, and they were bowled out for just 75 runs. The RCB seamers Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar made life impossible for the DC batters with tight swing bowling and perfect execution.

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Delhi had lost six wickets for just 12 runs in the powerplay itself. Hazlewood finished with four wickets while Bhuvneshwar picked up three, and together they bundled Delhi Capitals out for just 75 runs. Later, the game was sealed in just 6.3 overs by the RCB on Monday.

Well, Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar have been consistently dangerous, especially with the new ball this season. Bhuvneshwar is currently leading the Purple Cap holders with 14 wickets in 8 matches, while Hazlewood has also made a strong impact with 8 wickets in 5 economical games.

Kagiso Rabada and Jofra Archer dominate IPL 2026 with fiery spells for GT and RR

Meanwhile, other overseas pacers like Kagiso Rabada and Jofra Archer are also dominating the ongoing IPL 2026. Rabada has been a key player for the Gujarat Titans (GT) with his blistering pace and consistent lengths this season. The South African speedster has so far taken 13 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 22.62 and an economy rate of 9.48 in the tournament.

Rabada’s ability to hit good lengths and extract seam movement makes him extremely lethal in the powerplay for GT. On the other hand, England’s pace bowling sensation Jofra Archer made a strong comeback for Rajasthan Royals this season. He is troubling batters with raw pace and bounce.

Archer has also scalped 13 wickets in 8 matches for the RR so far in the ongoing IPL 2026 at an excellent average of 17.92 and an economy of 8.03. The Englishman is currently bowling at an extreme pace this season, touching 151.6 km/h, and is deadly with the new ball. Archer's pace plus high release point makes him very difficult for the batters to handle.

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Dale Steyn reveals ‘hard length’ secret behind Bhuvneshwar, Hazlewood, Rabada, and Archer's IPL 2026 domination

After the DC vs RCB clash in Delhi, the former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn has heaped praise on Archer, Rabada, Hazlewood, and Bhuvneshwar in the ongoing IPL 2026. He said that the secret behind their domination is hitting the right hard note again and again.

The Proteas legend pointed out that the batters are not scared, but they feel pressure because they know what is coming from these seamers, yet they still struggle to deal with it. Steyn noted that this “hard length” area has become a major weapon for these fast bowlers this season, as it creates doubt in the batters’ minds, and by the time they try to adjust, it is often too late.

Dale Steyn posted on X: “Watching Bhuvi, Hazelwood, KG, and Archer throw in there too, there’s a genuine fear from batters, not because they're scared, but because they know exactly where these greats are going to bowl but don’t practice enough in that area to have answers. The fear is technical skill, too deep into the tournament to change now; watch these bowlers continue to dominate. It’s called a HARD length for a reason…”

Watching Buvi, Hazelwood, throw KG and Archer in there too, there’s a genuine fear from batters not because they scared, but they know exactly where these greats are going to bowl but don’t practice enough in that area to have answers.
The fear is technical skill, too deep into…

— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) April 28, 2026