Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the renaissance man of the IPL 2026 season, with Kris Srikkanth and R Ashwin calling for the Indian team management to bring back the veteran pacer into the fold. Bhuvneshwar was one of the stars of the show in the Raipur thriller between RCB and MI as he picked up four wickets and hit a six in the final over to seal the deal.
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Bhuvneshwar has got 21 wickets this season from 11 matches at an average of 15.29 and an economy-rate of 7.47. Srikkanth, while talking on his YouTube channel, claimed that the 36-year-old ended the game in his second over, where he picked up the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav off consecutive deliveries.
The former selector said Bhuvneshwar should be back in India colours.
“If you watched Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s bowling, wow, wow, wow. Vintage Bhuvi. He finished off the game in the second over. In the first over he got Rickleton. Then, in the second over, he used the knuckleball to dismiss Rohit Sharma. The he got Suryakumar Yadav for a duck with a beauty. That killed the game.”
“I am telling you. Bhuvneshwar Kumar should come back and play for India,” said Srikkanth.
Bhuvneshwar last played a match for India in November 2022. Ashwin, while talking to JioStar, said that it has been the pacer’s tournament so far and said that the RCB star has put in the hard yards in terms of fitness and playing T20s on the domestic circuit to keep himself up to date with the modern game.
“It was Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s day. It has been his tournament. If your time is right, nobody can stop you. He would take it both (both the six and the four wickets). He is a lovely guy. I am so happy for him. He has done all the hard yards. He has played every single T20 game that has been available for him. He has worked incredibly hard on his fitness. A very unassuming guy. He is such a lovely guy to have in your team,” said Ashwin.
Ashwin said that he is waiting for #BringBackBhuvi to start trending and would love to see the pacer being considered for the Indian team.
“#BringBackBhuvi. Let’s wait for that. I would love to see him being considered. A tick with the new ball, he is able to bowl in the death overs consistently. If you need, he is able to hit a six under pressure. I am extremely happy for him,” said Ashwin.
‘BHUVI ONE OF INDIA’S BEST’
One of the striking features of Bhuvneshwar’s resurgence this season has been how he has bowled across all three phases with the ball. The RCB star has maintained an economy of 7.00 in the powerplay, 8.42 during the middle overs and 7.83 at the death. Among bowlers who have delivered at least 50 balls in the powerplay, he shares the best economy rate with Mohsin Khan of Lucknow Super Giants. Using the same minimum-ball benchmark, he has also been the most economical bowler in the death overs.
This made Krunal Pandya call Bhuvneshwar one of the best bowlers produced by the country, hailing him as a champion player.
“He is one of the best bowlers India has ever produced, right? He has played for so many years across all three formats. In the IPL, to play around 200 games and still maintain an economy of 7 is incredible. And it’s not like he bowls only in the middle overs — he bowls in the powerplay, which is very tough, and he bowls at the death, which is even tougher.”
“And the way he has consistently performed year after year — he comes silently, does his job, and goes away. So he is a champion bowler, there is no doubt about it,” said Krunal at the post-match press conference.
RCB will next take on KKR in Raipur on May 13.
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