Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is two wickets away from scripting Indian Premier League (IPL) history. In the IPL 2026 opening game against his former franchise, Bhuvneshwar needs two wickets to complete 200 wickets in his IPL career. He will become the first pacer to achieve this feat in IPL history.
From 190 games, he has 198 wickets at an average of 27.33, featuring two fifers and as many four-fers. He is only behind Punjab Kings' (PBKS) Yuzvendra Chahal on the list of leading wicket-takers in the IPL.
The next pacer on the list is Mumbai Indians' (MI) Jasprit Bumrah. He has 183 wickets from 145 games, averaging 22.02. He is tied with former MI and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer Dwayne Bravo who took 161 games to bag 183 wickets.
Big money for Bhuvneshwar pays off
Bhuvneshwar was roped in by RCB for Rs 10.75 crore, beating Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and MI who engaged in an intense bidding war.
In the previous season, Bhuvneshwar was their second joint-highest wicket-taker in the season. He bagged 17 wickets from 14 innings at an average of 28.41.
Bhuvneshwar’s new-ball magic in numbers
The 36-year-old has an exceptional record with the new ball. He has taken 79 of his IPL wickets in powerplay overs, most by any bowler. The only bowler who comes close is MI's left-arm pacer Trent Boult. Also, Bhuvneshwar's economy rate during fielding restrictions is just 6.46 runs per over. His 29 of 79 powerplay overs wickets came in the first over of the innings itself.
When Bhuvneshwar played vs SRH
The last time Bhuvneshwar faced his former franchise was in Lucknow's Ekana Stadium, his homeground. In a high-scoring contest where Ishan Kishan scored an unbeaten 94, Bhuvneshwar conceded 43 runs from his quota of four overs. His only wicket was opener Travis Head.