Bhuvneshwar Kumar is at the forefront among the highest wicket takers in the current IPL 2026 season. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fast bowler has now taken 21 wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of just 7.47. Compared to many up-and-coming bowlers and some star overseas fast bowlers, the 36-year-old Indian fast bowler is in good shape.
Before the season, some former cricketers like AB de VilliersThere was some doubt over the RCB fast bowler due to his age. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is now well beyond his thirties and has also shown some progress.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is in great form for RCB
Kumar is proving that age is just a number and class is permanent. He is not only taking wickets, but is also bowling very economical spells. Due to blazing form, some cricket fans believe Bhuvneshwar Kumar deserves to play team india again.
The fast bowler’s last match for India was a T20 International (T20I) against New Zealand in Napier on November 22, 2022. Since that match, he has not represented India in any format.
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Seamer has stopped making long term plans
Bhuvneshwar Kumar He himself is not thinking of returning to the national team yet. In a recent video shared by Royal Challengers Bangalore, he revealed that he has stopped thinking too much about the future, and that he is happy with his current role with RCB. He recently made his record of 200th IPL game as a fast bowler, which is rare in the league. Many batsmen have played more than two hundred matches in the IPL, but as a fast bowler, Kumar is the first player to achieve this feat.
“I am not thinking about an India comeback. It has been many years since I stopped setting or making long-term goals, because whenever I did, it never worked out for me. I am happy that I have played 200 matches and taken so many wickets in the powerplay and in the death overs. I think all this is a reward for what I have done over the years.
“There have been good years and bad years. To be honest, at the moment, I am not feeling anything special. Of course, I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t feel the same later. Once I stop playing, I think these will be the memories that will come in handy later. But at the moment, for me, I feel it is very normal,” Bhuvneshwar said in a video posted by RCB.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar talks about his workload management
He highlights workload management as the reason behind his recent success. Since he is not playing for the national team, he also got good time for recovery sessions and long breaks, which helped him a lot in developing his performance.
I know 2026 is going well. I am getting wickets, but I am doing the same things I was doing before. Of course, I can say that the training has been a little more, or maybe some things have been better because I am not playing for the country. One of the best things is that I get a very long break after IPL. I think I play so much cricket that I stay in touch and I also get so much break that I have time to do other things,” he said.
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