Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is enjoying a second peak with RCB. A brilliant powerplay spell against DC has put the Purple Cap back on his head, with 14 wickets and the season's best average and economy rate, reviving his career.
Indian pace veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar brought the recently-used internet trend '2026 is the new 2016' alive with a scorching powerplay spell for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday, which brought back the Purple Cap back on his head a decade after he secured the honour for the first time as a part of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) 2016 IPL title winning team.
Currently, as things stand, Bhuvneshwar has 14 wickets in the tournament so far at an average of 16.85 and an economy rate of 7.61, a strike rate of 13.28, with best figures of 3/5. Among the bowlers with 10 wickets this season, Bhuvi holds the best bowling average and economy rate. With Jofra Archer (13 wickets) highly likely to dethrone the 'Swing King' of the modern era, it would not change the fact that Bhuvneshwar is currently in midst of a second and final peak in his T20 career with the RCB, that too at the age of 36 after spending years battling injuries, bending his back and exerting so much pressure on his body that would have finished many pacers at this age.
From debut to zenith: 2011-2017 phase
From his IPL debut in the 2011 season with Pune Warriors India till his two years of domination with SRH, which saw him win the Purple Cap back-to-back in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Bhuvneshwar took 111 wickets in 90 matches at an average of 21.1 and an economy rate of 7.08, with a strike rate of 17.8, with a five-wicket haul to his name. During this time period, he was the second-highest wicket-taker next to Lasith Malinga (121 wickets in 84 matches) and had the second-best bowling average among bowlers with 100-plus wickets and second-best ER among 100-wicket-takers, second to Malinga in all aspects, who had an average of 18.77 and an economy rate of 6.93.
From 2014 to 2017, his first four seasons with SRH, Bhuvneshwar scalped 87 wickets in 59 matches at an average of 18.6, an economy rate of 7.26 and a strike rate of 15.4 overs. Among the bowlers with 50 wickets or more in this phase (since nobody touched the century mark), he was untouchable in terms of bowling average and economy rate.
During the 2011-17 phase, Bhuvneshwar took 53 wickets in 70 innings at death overs, averaging 16.4 at an economy rate of 8.77 and having a strike rate of 11.2. The UP stalwart's death bowling superpowers peaked from 2014-17, with 47 scalps in 51 innings at an average getting down to 14.60, the strike rate peaking at 9.7. His economy rate went slightly up to 9.01.
From 2011-2017 phase, he was also a valuable powerplay asset, having 40 scalps in 89 innings at an average of 26.6, economy rate of 6.08 and a strike rate of 26.2. During the later monstrous run with SRH, Bhuvneshwar's numbers saw a major glow up in this phase, with 29 scalps in 59 innings at an average of 25.4, an economy rate rising slightly to 6.14, and a strike rate lowering to 24.8.
Powers decline, law of averages catch-up: 2018-24 phase
During the 2018-2024 phase with the Men in Orange, Bhuvneshwar's powers declined as the law of averages, injuries, forces of time and age slowly started to wear and tear out the swing genius. He slipped out of IPL's top 10 wicket-takers during this phase, getting just 70 scalps in 86 matches at an average of 37, an economy rate of 8.05 and a strike rate rising to 27.5, being the 20th-highest wicket-taker in this phase. He could get only one five-wicket haul during these years as performances became inconsistent and batters started to show very little respect for his prodigious swinging abilities. Not blessed with the gift of a scary, rattling pace either, it made matters worse for Bhuvneshwar.
With batters getting more fearless and in tune with the changing T20 cricket environment, Bhuvneshwar was not the most scary force at death overs either, having taken 32 wickets in 69 innings, with average and economy rate rising to 30.3 and 10.16, respectively. His strike rate also went up to 17.9.
Bhuvneshwar also started to receive battering in the powerplay, getting just 32 scalps in 86 wickets at an average of 38.4, economy rate of 6.68 and strike rate of 34.50, all witnessing a decline.
Six out of seven seasons saw him average above 30, including 39.33 (in 2018) after keeping the Orange Cap for two years, 55.83 (in 2021) and 48.45 (in 2024, his final season with SRH). Strike rates of 30.7 in 2018, 42.0 in 2021, and 31.0 in 2024 also suggested that he was getting less efficient at getting wickets regularly. Bhuvneshwar leaked runs and struck less often, with forces of age and time turning him into a shadow of his former self.
The revival under RCB: 2025-onwards
After spending quite a few years as a spent force and losing his place in the Indian T20I set-up after the 2022 T20WC debacle, Bhuvneshwar was bought for Rs 10.75 crores by RCB, a franchise that had brought him in 2009 and till 2010, he did not get a single game. Since rejoining RCB, Bhuvneshwar has been the second-highest wicket-taker so far from the start of the 2025 season with 31 wickets in 22 matches at an average of 23.19, an economy rate of 8.66 and a strike rate of 16, with best figures of 3/5. In terms of wickets, he is just seven away from toppling Prasidh Krishna of the Gujarat Titans (GT).
With RCB, he has got back to being elite in death overs, taking 13 scalps in 18 innings at an average of 18.1 and a strike rate of 11.5, with an economy rate of 9.40, with his average and strike rate moving closer to the 2011-17 phase.
In the powerplay phase as well, he has taken 15 wickets in 22 innings at an average of 24.4, a strike rate of 18.8 and an ER of 7.79. His strike rate and average are, in fact, better than his 2014-17 peak in the power-play phase. Among the nine bowlers to have taken 25 wickets at least during this while, Bhuvneshwar has the fifth-best average so far, fourth-best economy rate and the fourth-best strike rate.
In his first full-fledged season with RCB, during Qualifier 1, he broke the back of PBKS' batting, removing Prabhsimran Singh and reducing them to 27/2, before PBKS was bundled out for 101. In the final against the same opposition, he took two crucial wickets of Nehal Wadhera and Marcus Stoinis in a four-over spell of 2/38 while defending 185 runs.
Slowly, but steadily, Bhuvneshwar is getting back their right among the best. Will the legendary Indian pacer end up the season with a third Purple Cap? (ANI)
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