Bhuvneshwar Kumar is doing some vintage stuff in every game for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2026. The star pacer clinched four wickets for only 23 runs in the first wicket against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Sunday, May 10 at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Raipur.
In the first innings, Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed key batters like Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton and Suryakumar Yadav with his exceptional bowling. His amazing spell restricted MI batters at 166/7 after the end of 20 overs. In a surprising turn of events, Bhuvneshwar Kumar smashed a six in the final over to help RCB cross the finish line and win the game by two wickets.
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Ravichandran Ashwin wants Bhuvneshwar Kumar in Indian T20I team
In an interaction with JioHotstar, Ravichandran Ashwin called for Bhuvneshwar Kumar's return in the Indian T2OI setup, as the right-arm pacer is consistently taking wickets with the new ball with finishing the death overs strongly. Former India spinner has observed considerable improvement in Bhuvneshwar's batting as well.
“Hashtag ‘BringBackBhuvi’. I’d love to see him being considered for the T20I side. Tick with the new ball, able to complete the death overs nicely, and if you need a six under pressure, he’s hammering that as well in the toughest part of the ground," Ashwin said on JioHotstar.
While analysing Bhuvneshwar's bowling, Ashwin noted that he targeted Test match lengths against MI after observing help from the surface. Ashwin claimed that Bhuvneshwar is continuously testing the opening batters with his variations.
"That was proper Test-match bowling after he realised there was something in the surface. He keeps testing you as an opening batter. To dismiss Rohit Sharma with that peach, a slower ball that just swung, was quite incredible," Ashwin observed.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar's overwhelming form in IPL 2026
In the ongoing IPL 2026 season, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is doing wonders with his bowling, taking 21 wickets in just 11 outings at an economy rate of 7.46 and a bowling average of 15.28. Currently, Bhuvneshwar is leading the Purple Cap race, his ability to clinch early wickets in the game is really helping other RCB bowlers to express themselves with full freedom.
RCB's solid performance in IPL 2026
It will be interesting to see if RCB could manage to continue their winning form in the latter stages of the tournament, as playoffs are just around the corner. With the win over MI, RCB reached the top of the table with 14 points in hand after playing 11 matches (Seven wins and four losses) at a net run rate of +1.103.
RCB will lock horns against Ajinkya Rahane-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their upcoming IPL 2026 clash on Wednesday, May 13 at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Raipur. On the other hand, Ajinkya Rahane and Co. are coming after four consecutive victories.