Over the past two Indian Premier League seasons, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s capacity to execute under pressure has been a key component of Royal Challengers. Head coach Andy Flower stated on Monday that Bengaluru has won titles in a row.
RCB registered a five-wicket win in a one-sided IPL 2026 final on Sunday to earn their second title in a straight, and Flower stated the 36-year-old Indian pacer, along with other experienced veterans, had played a key role in the triumph.
After taking 17 wickets in the 2025 IPL, Bhuvneshwar took 28 in the 2026 season, only one fewer than Gujarat Titans’ Kagiso Rabada, who would go on to win the Purple Cap.
“Bhuvi has been outstanding for these last two seasons, and it’s arguable that we wouldn’t have had our success at all over the last two seasons if he hadn’t been producing performances under pressure repeatedly that he’s done over the last two seasons,” PTI quoted Flower as saying at a press conference organised by RCB.
The former captain of Zimbabwe stated that players who have faced difficult circumstances in international competitions and major series like the Ashes have greatly benefited RCB.
“We’re lucky to have some of the personnel in our dressing room. And we’re lucky that they can influence the group in such a calm and positive manner,” he said.
“We’ve got some characters in our dressing room that inspire that level of calmness and confidence. We’ve spoken at length about Virat (Kohli) already, but bowlers like (Josh) Hazlewood and Bhuvi and KP (Krunal Pandya), those guys are calm under pressure.
“The pressure in IPL is similar to that you experience in playoff stages of World Cups or in Ashes matches…and having people who have done it before, come through in adversity before, those are deeper, stronger levels of confidence than you might have in other individuals that hadn’t had those experiences,” he added.
Despite playing at their home ground in Ahmedabad, Gujarat Titans struggled in nearly every area, whereas RCB appeared to be a far more confident and self-assured team on the night of the final.
Although acknowledging that there were some nerves in the dugout, Flower claimed that the confidence and self-assurance came from excellent performances in the IPL group stage.
“I’m glad that it’s observable. Sometimes when you’re actually in the dressing room or in the dugout or in the training area, you’re getting a very close-up view of stuff, but it’s nice to hear that even from an external viewpoint, you’re seeing that level of confidence,” he said.
“There was a little more jeopardy and uncertainty around last year’s title chase. After winning the trophy last year, and then after playing some outstanding cricket through the group phase this year, our confidence levels have increased.”
Asked about RCB not showing any nerves in the final, Flower replied, “It’s also fair to say that you said you didn’t observe many nerves. There would have been a lot of nervous people in our dressing room, in our dugout. I was certainly one of them.”
“But that deeper level of confidence that comes from testing yourselves against good opposition or in challenging circumstances, and proving to yourself as a group that you are not only able to handle whatever’s thrown at you, but you’re able to thrive in that high-pressure environment, that produces real confidence,” he added.
