Playing the first match of this season, Bhuvi will be eyeing to break the record of crossing the 200 wicket mark in the IPL season. At present, Kumar is just 2 wickets away from becoming the first fast bowler to dismiss 200 batsmen in the IPL. However, he has been out of the Indian team for a long time due to his form and team combination. But when it comes to IPL, he is considered to be in the top list of bowlers who have achieved impeccable records through his bowling career.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s journey in IPL!
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has played 15 consecutive editions of the Indian Premier League, out of which he has been a part of 2 IPL winning teams, one is Hyderabad, and the other is RCB, which they achieved last year. Bhuvneshwar was a part of Pune Warriors India from 2011 to 2013, where his performance was not satisfactory, he played a total of 31 matches in 3 seasons and took only 23 wickets.
However, after that, Bhuvneshwar joined SRH in 2014 and was a part of the Orange Army till 2024, making him one of the most influential and successful bowlers of the franchise. He served as the leader of their bowling attack for over a decade, known for his new ball swing, elite death bowling and exceptional economy rates. Due to their incredible performances, SRH won their first IPL trophy in 2016 under the leadership of former Australia cricketer David Warner.
What other names are associated with Bhuvneshwar Kumar?
So far only one bowler has been successful in taking 200 or more wickets in IPL and that player is Yuzvendra Chahal. Chahal, who will represent Punjab Kings in the cash-rich league this year, has 221 wickets to his name in 174 matches for four teams: Mumbai Indians, RCB, Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings.
The world record for taking most wickets in T20 is in the name of Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan. Rashid, who is part of the Gujarat Titans IPL 2026 squad, has taken 702 dismissals in 519 matches played so far for 18 teams around the world.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s role in the current season
Following the sudden exit of Nuwan Thushara, who failed to clear the new fitness test by the Sri Lanka Cricket Board which led to him not getting an NOC, he will not be able to feature in the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League for Royal Challengers Bangalore. While Josh Hazlewood also said that he will not be available for the first part of the IPL due to his hamstring injury.
So it is clearly visible that all the responsibilities of bowling will be given to senior bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar so that he can achieve initial success and save the RCB title for his team. However, RCB may announce Thusara’s replacement in the coming days to create balance in their bowling department.
