The refreshed Australia quick had begun his 2025 campaign with two masterful displays in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's opening wins.
Yet when RCB turned to their star man at the death on Wednesday as their last hope to salvage a win against Gujarat Titans, it all went wrong.
Needing 20 off 18 balls but with eight wickets still standing, it was always going to be a long shot for Hazlewood to work any sort of magic, but it took Gujarat's Jos Buttler, the recently deposed England white-ball captain, and Sherfane Rutherford just five balls to smash his bowling to smithereens and seal the win.
Three times in the over, Hazlewood's usual immaculate stuff was treated with disdain, Buttler preposterously reverse-ramping him for six and then, next ball, depositing a shorter one into the unhappy Bengaluru crowd beyond deep midwicket at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Off the fifth delivery, it was Guyanese Rutherford's turn to swivel and strike him into the legside for the winning six.
Those five balls cost Hazlewood 20 runs, leaving him with figures of 1-43 off 3.5 overs - as many runs as he'd given up in his first two matches while taking five wickets.
Buttler evidently enjoyed it enormously, as he made up for a dodgy performance behind the stumps with a 31-ball half-century, ending unbeaten on 73 off 39.
It's not been the happiest time for Buttler of late, having resigned as England captain after their tame Champions Trophy exit, but he sounded much perkier as he said afterwards: "I really enjoyed it.
"I was trying to play with a lot of freedom and intent. I've had a few months of unenjoyable cricket, so I was trying to give my best and I'm excited to be here."
He was edged out for the player of the match award, though, by his teammate, fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, who admitted he found it "emotional" to grab 3-19 against the team who had decided not to retain him.
Siraj broke the back of the home side's innings before Liam Livingstone's 40-ball 54 and a splendid late cameo from Tim David at least helped RCB reach 8-169 after they'd been inserted.
Aussie David cracked 32 off 18 balls, smiting 16 off four deliveries before getting clean bowled off the last ball of the innings by Prasidh Krishna.
Buttler dropped a catch and missed a stumping, but made handsome amends with the bat, putting on 75 with opener Sai Sudharsan (49), who missed out on his third straight half-century when Hazlewood had him caught behind after he'd failed to pull off a preposterous lap-shot over the keeper, Jitesh Sharma.
Impact sub Rutherford hit three sixes in his quickfire unbeaten 30 off 18 balls, helping Buttler, who finished with six sixes and five fours.
