Bhuvneshwar Kumar, leading the Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowling attack in IPL 2026, etched his name into the record books during the tournament final on Sunday, May 31. By dismissing Sai Sudharsan on the fourth ball of the fourth over against Gujarat Titans, Bhuvneshwar claimed his 17th powerplay wicket of the season.
This milestone equals Mohammed Shami's record for the most powerplay wickets taken by an Indian bowler in a single IPL edition, which Shami previously set while playing for Gujarat Titans in 2023.
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Bowlers with most wickets in powerplay in an IPL season:
| PLAYER | TEAM | WICKETS | EDITION |
| Kagiso Rabada | Gujarat Titans | 19 | 2026 |
| Mohammed Shami | Gujarat Titans | 17 | 2023 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 17 | 2026 |
| Mitchell Johnson | Mumbai Indians | 16 | 2013 |
| Trent Boult | Mumbai Indians | 16 | 2020 |
While Bhuvneshwar now shares the Indian record, the overall tournament record belongs to South Africa's Kagiso Rabada. Playing in this same 2026 edition, Rabada has set a massive benchmark by dismissing 19 batters during the powerplay overs.
By dismissing Sai Sudharsan for just 12 runs in the IPL 2026 final, veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar extended his impressive season tally to 27 wickets. He then bagged the key wicket of Jason Holder to take his wicket tally to 28.
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With this Bhuvneshwar equalled Kagiso Rabada’s current tally of 28 wickets. However, Rabada took no time to overtake Bhuvneshwar to bring his wicket tally to 29, which made him the owner of IPL 2026 Purple Cap.