Shubman Gill pushed forward to smash Bhuvneshwar Kumar past the line, but the Gujarat Titans captain’s stumps were rattled when the ball came a little bit in from excellent length. The dismissal was just like any other in the 2026 Indian Premier League.
The essence of Bhuvneshwar’s bowling, however, was captured in that 10-second instant during the Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala—old-school, simple, yet incredibly successful.
With 26 wickets at a remarkable economy rate of 8, the 36-year-old pacer is the Purple Cap holder. Of the top 20 bowlers, only Jason Holder (7.63) has been more economical than Bhuvneshwar.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s run to a second consecutive IPL final has been fueled by 12 wickets taken during the Power Play portion at an incredible economy of almost 7.
Bhuvneshwar, who was previously thought to be unfit for the Twenty20 format due to his slow pace, has made an incredible transformation to become the league’s second-highest wicket-taker with 222 wickets.
In the era of flat tracks and range-hitting, how can he maintain his relevance? After all, some of the more revered names have withered in this unforgiving league. The RCB bowling coach, Omkar Salvi, provided some information.
“Everyone knows what a world-class bowler he is and the skills he possesses. Every bowler has their own strengths and teams plan according to that. Bhuvi is bowling with the new ball, so naturally he wants to explore the swing. At the death as well, he has been using his variations effectively. It depends on which phase he is operating in,” said Salvi.
In addition to his many variations, Bhuvneshwar has recently added a highly useful yorker to his repertoire, making him more difficult to beat in the final overs. His knuckle ball, which he devised while observing former India bowler Zaheer Khan, is the most deceptive of them.
The Meerut man curls his knuckles in and holds the ball’s seam with the tips of his index and middle fingers. In addition to causing severe wobbling and a somewhat abrupt dip, it is an unnatural grip and release that leaves the batter in disarray, especially when positioning himself for a big hit.
Rohit Sharma will attest to it. A 116 kmph broader knuckle ball took the edge of the experienced Mumbai Indians batter’s bat before landing in Jitesh Sharma’s safe mitts, preventing him from delivering his signature thud through the covers.
“A lot of planning goes into it, when to use it, it’s not random, and it depends on how the wicket is behaving. When there’s a bit of seam or swing in the first six, I try to extract that. So, it’s about being proactive, like batters are these days. If it’s a slow wicket, where the ball might stop on the surface, I may use the knuckle ball,” PTI quoted Bhuvneshwar telling JioHotstar.
However, his innate ability to swing the ball both ways is enhanced by these many creative modifications, which may constantly keep a batter guessing. If anything, the pacer’s eagerness to improve his skills is demonstrated by his readiness to add more curves to his bowling.
“He can outthink a batsman easily. He has been bowling for so many years now and has developed this ability to judge a batter’s mindset and he can plot the dismissal while adjusting the field to his strengths.
“What he does is he keeps learning and adds to his bowling. I think now he can bowl in the early 140s, and that was not the case earlier. Now, he can beat a batsman for pace in conditions that suit that kind of bowling,” offered Praveen Kumar, former India pacer and a close confidant of Bhuvneshwar.
According to Salvi, Bhuvneshwar has also put a lot of effort into improving his fitness in preparation for this IPL season so that he can endure the intense summer heat.
“Looking at the experience Bhuvneshwar has, he understands his body really well. He knows the fitness components he needs to work on and he has worked religiously on them. That is reflected in his bowling,” he said.
Bhuvneshwar’s success rate will directly impact RCB’s title defence on Sunday. Bhuvneshwar and the batsmen may engage in a thrilling game of cunning if the pitch provides the same grip as it has most of this season.
