Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik who is now in the support staff of the Bengaluru-based franchise reckons that Bhuvneshwar Kumar who was picked by RCB during the mega auction for Indian Premier League 2025 is India's best bowler after Jasprit Bumrah. RCB brought Bhuvneshwar for a whopping 10.75 crore in Jeddah Saudi Arabia. The Uttar Pradesh-based bowler came under the hammer after his old franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) released him before the auction.
According to Karthik, Bhuvneshwar is right behind Bumrah in T20Is. Bhuvneshwar has picked up 294 wickets for India in his 229 international outings across format for India. He is also the proven game-changer in cash-rich league. He picked up 181 wickets in his 176 IPL outings which is the second most by any pacer in the history of the tournament.
"Just for the record, I am convinced that he is the best bowler India has after Bumrah even today. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the best T20 bowler," said Karthik in a video shared by RCB's official X handle.
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Bhuvneshwar who made his IPL debut with RCB in 2009 has shared his excitement at returning to his old franchise ahead of IPL 2025.
"Really happy to be part of RCB, it's where I started in 2009. I want to thank RCB management for considering me and a big shout out to the RCB fans for showing so much love. Looking forward to a great season," said Bhuvneshwar in a release.
The right-arm pacer was leading Uttar Pradesh in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) where he delivered a sensational bowling performance during the match against Jharkhand. He finished his spell with extraordinary figures of 3 for 6 that helped his team register a 10-wicket win against Jharkhand earlier this month.
However, UP are out of SMAT as Ayush Badoni-led Delhi defeated them by 19 runs in the quarterfinal clash at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.