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Josh Hazlewood’s disciplined spell powered RCB to the top of the IPL and left Lucknow without their captain mid-innings.

Josh Hazlewood delivered another controlled display to steer Royal Challengers Bengaluru back to the top of the IPL table, while also forcing Rishabh Pant from the field with an elbow blow in a five-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants.

The experienced quick returned figures of 1-20 from four overs on Wednesday, conceding just five an over in a high-scoring format.

His opening spell set the tone, including a sharp delivery that struck Pant on the elbow and ended the Lucknow captain's innings prematurely.

Hazlewood, who has been carefully managed after recent Achilles and hamstring issues, indicated he was building rhythm after a modest outing against Rajasthan.

He suggested his workload over recent months had been heavy but felt he was now in better shape.

After being sent in, Lucknow started aggressively through Mitchell Marsh, who struck a 102m six among his 40 from 32 balls.

Hazlewood quickly applied pressure, bowling tightly and removing Nicholas Pooran, while narrowly missing Marsh's stumps during a probing spell.

RCB's bowling unit maintained control. Krunal Pandya dismissed Marsh, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rasikh Salam Dar combined for seven wickets to bowl Lucknow out for 146.

The chase was anchored by Virat Kohli, who made 49 from 34 balls despite managing a sore knee. He was supported by quick contributions from the middle order, with Tim David finishing the match with an unbeaten 14 from eight deliveries.

Kohli's innings returned him to the top of the tournament run charts, underlining his consistent form this season.

RCB's director of cricket Mo Bobat credited Hazlewood's influence, noting his key role in the side's recent success and the benefits of careful workload management in collaboration with Cricket Australia.

Hazlewood indicated he hoped to feature regularly through the remainder of the schedule, suggesting the team's fixture list would allow him to maintain continuity.