Former India and CSK fast bowler Mohit Sharma has praised Royal Challengers Bangalore star fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Bhuvneshwar currently holds the Purple Cap, having taken 14 wickets in 8 matches in IPL 2026. ‘Bhuvi’ was particularly aggressive in RCB’s win over Delhi Capitals on Monday, April 28.
Kumar took 3 wickets in the win, all of which came in the powerplay. He played arguably the most important role in ensuring that Delhi Capitals were bowled out for just 75 runs.
“Worth double his current price” – Mohit Sharma on Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Even though ‘Bhuvi’ has not played any T20 International for India since 2022, RCB prioritized his experience during the IPL 2025 auction.
RCB survived a tough bidding war from Mumbai Indians and signed Kumar for ₹10.75 crore. He will eventually play a key role in RCB’s maiden IPL title in 2025.
Sharma spoke to Cricbuzz and compared RCB’s previous bowling lineup with the current one.
“TeaWaris’ batting has been good from the beginning; Their problem was that they managed to score 225 runs, but were not able to stop the opposition team from chasing it. With the previous bowling attack, 220-230 was also being chased. The good thing they did in the auction is that they went with experience. In this format, you need experience in bowling,” he said.
Mohit Sharma continued and made a bold claim. He said that in current form, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is worth at least double his current price.
For context, the highest-paid fast bowlers in IPL 2026 are Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins and Arshdeep Singh, who are being paid ₹18 crore each.
If Bhuvneshwar’s value is doubled, he will get more money than the above names.
“They [RCB] Followed Bhuvi till the end. Others might have felt that Bhuvi was not worth that much, so they stopped bidding. I am still saying that Bhuvi is worth double his current price. In terms of his execution and skills, he showed that last year. After this RCB chose Hazlewood and his experience came in handy here. You can see what they are doing together,” said Mohit Sharma.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar in IPL 2026
Currently, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the Purple Cap holder with 14 wickets in 8 matches. His bowling average of 16.85 is the best among all players who have bowled at least 20 overs in IPL 2026.
With the same qualifiers, his economy of 7.61 is the second best in the league and the best by a fast bowler. Earlier in the same tournament, he became the first fast bowler in IPL history to take 200 wickets.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is also on the verge of becoming the first fast bowler to play 200 matches in IPL.
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RCB’s next match in IPL 2026
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s next match will be against Gujarat Titans, a team they have defeated once before.
Bhuvneshwar will be an important piece of the puzzle as RCB look to maintain their dominance in the tournament.
