IPL 2026: Bhuvneshwar Kumar joins elite club with record wicket, becomes only second bowler to reach feat
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "IPL 2026: Bhuvneshwar Kumar joins elite club with record wicket, becomes only second bowler to reach feat")
IPL 2026: Bhuvneshwar Kumar joins elite club with record wicket, becomes only second bowler to reach feat Photograph: (IPL)
Bhuvneshwar Kumar needed just one wicket to become only the second bowler in IPL history, and the first fast bowler, to reach the landmark of 200 wickets. Notably, Yuzvendra Chahal is the only bowler in the IPL to cross the 200-wicket mark.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star man Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Sunday (April 5) joined an elite set of players as he scalped his 200th Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) wicket. Playing at home against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in an all-South-Indian affair, Bhuvneshwar became just the second bowler to scalp 200 wickets in the premier competition. One of the greats of the game, Bhuvneshwar, played a key role in IPL 2025 as he helped RCB win their maiden title and has made a bright start to the current campaign.
Bhuvi joins elite club
The 36-year-old pacer needed just one wicket to become only the second bowler in IPL history, and the first fast bowler, to reach the landmark of 200 wickets. Notably, Yuzvendra Chahal is the only bowler in the IPL to cross the 200-wicket mark. He currently has 224 wickets in 176 IPL matches. On the second ball of the second over of the CSK innings, Bhuvneshwar dismissed Ayush Mhatre to reach the feat. While Rajat Patidar completed the catch, the applause went to Bhuvi to join the special club of players.
Known initially as a swing specialist and a powerplay bowler, Bhuvneshwar has evolved significantly over the years. While he continues to remain highly effective with the new ball, his transformation into a dependable death-over bowler has added a new dimension to his game. Variations such as the knuckleball, coupled with precise yorkers, have made him a complete T20 bowler.
Bhuvneshwar played a crucial supporting role in RCB's title-winning campaign last season. While Josh Hazlewood grabbed the headlines, Bhuvneshwar quietly delivered with 17 wickets in 14 matches. Notably, his impact in the death overs stood out, where he picked up seven wickets, including a decisive spell in the final against the Punjab Kings.
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With Hazlewood unavailable at the start of the current season, Bhuvneshwar has stepped up as RCB's lead bowler. He made an immediate impact in the opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad, conceding just 31 runs across four overs, including crucial spells in both the powerplay and death phases.
In the lead-up to the CSK clash, Bhuvneshwar has also impressed in training, troubling top batters with his mix of hard lengths, cutters, and yorkers.
