With Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stepping up to defend their title as they host five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the spotlight is also on a special personal landmark for RCB fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The pace spearhead is just one wicket short of becoming the very first fast bowler in the history of the Indian Premier League to reach 200 wickets—an achievement that underlines his durability and steady output across seasons.
The 36-year-old began his IPL journey in 2011 with Pune Warriors India, and the following year he made his white-ball international debut against Pakistan. His early international stint brought plenty of praise, particularly for the natural swing he could generate. In 2014, he moved to Sunrisers Hyderabad, and by then he had already established himself as a multi-format contributor, having also made his Test debut the year before.
In the early stages of his career, Bhuvneshwar was not known primarily for blistering pace; his impact largely came through swing. A key strength was that he could move the ball both ways, keeping batters guessing. Over time, as opposing sides—across the world and in the IPL as well—learned how to counter his patterns, he adapted. His evolution started with adding pace, and then he broadened his finishing skills by bringing yorkers into his arsenal. Importantly, it wasn’t only the conventional yorker that he developed—he also became proficient at delivering yorkers that were aimed away from the batter on the off side.
Those mid-2010s seasons—2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017—are widely viewed as Bhuvneshwar’s peak years in the league. In 2016, Sunrisers Hyderabad captured the trophy, and Bhuvneshwar’s role was central to their success. The right-arm pacer delivered 23 wickets in 17 matches, helping drive a title triumph that saw the franchise beat overwhelming favourites led by Virat Kohli’s RCB in the final. That campaign also brought him the Purple Cap for being the tournament’s leading wicket-taker. The next season, he again claimed the Purple Cap with 26 wickets—still the only time any bowler has won it with that many wickets.
RCB, meanwhile, have had their own slice of fortune. When Bhuvneshwar joined the franchise last year, it seemed to bring immediate benefits: for the first time in their history, the Bengaluru-based team won the IPL. He appeared in 14 matches, and although his economy rate of 9.29 showed he could be expensive at times, he still finished with 17 wickets during RCB’s landmark run.
As the league stands at present, Yuzvendra Chahal of Punjab Kings leads the wicket-taking charts in the IPL with 224 scalps. Bhuvneshwar sits second in that race. Kolkata’s Sunil Narine has 193 wickets and, much like Bhuvneshwar, is in a position to reach the same kind of landmark during the ongoing campaign. Mumbai Indians’ Jasprit Bumrah, on the other hand, still needs 17 more wickets to get to 200, and if he plays all of his team’s matches this season, he is expected to reach the milestone as well.
