Bhuvneshwar Kumar became the first fast bowler to take 200 wickets in Indian Premier League history during their clash against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. He achieved the milestone by dismissing Ayush Mhatre for 1, becoming only the second bowler overall after Yuzvendra Chahal.
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Bhuvneshwar bowled a challenging length outside off that rose sharply to Mhatre. Attempting a pull, the batter pulled into the tight space and mistimed it to mid-on where Rajat Patidar completed a simple catch. The RCB players rallied around their senior bowler as the crowd acknowledged the moment.
Bhuvneshwar, who made his IPL debut in 2011, has built his career on control and movement rather than pace. His most successful season came in 2017 when he collected 26 goals. He remains the only bowler to win back-to-back Purple Caps, taking 23 wickets in 2016 and 26 in 2017 while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
In 145 matches for Hyderabad, he took 157 wickets at an average of 26.81 and an economy rate of 7.72. He also represented Pune Warriors and RCB in his IPL career. He has taken two wickets so far this season, while picking up 17 last year to help RCB secure their first title in 2025.
As the format evolved into a high-scoring contest, Bhuvneshwar adapted by perfecting his lengths and using variations effectively. However, injuries disrupted his rhythm and affected his consistency in the following years. His release from Hyderabad ahead of IPL 2025 marked a shift, but the move to RCB offered him a new role.
He returned to domestic cricket, worked on his fitness and rebuilt his game. His experience added control to RCB’s attack during their winning run and he has continued in that role this season.
The 200-wicket milestone ranks him among the leading bowlers in IPL history. Chahal remains the highest wicket-taker overall, but Bhuvneshwar now leads the list among bowlers.
MOST WALKS IN IPL
- Yuzvenda Chahal – 224
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 200
- Sunil Narine – 193
- Piyush Chawla – 192
- Ravichandran Ashwin – 187
- Dwayne Bravo – 183
- Jasprit Bumrah – 183
- Amit Mishra – 174
- Ravindra Jadeja – 172
- Lasith Malinga – 170
Bhuvneshwar made his limited-overs cricket debut for India in 2012 and played his first Test in 2013. He has not represented India since 2022, his last ODI and Test coming against South Africa and his last T20I against New Zealand in November of that year.
Earlier in the match, Devdutt Padikkal and Tim David scored fluent fifties as RCB produced a dominant top-order performance to post 250 for 3, their highest total of the season so far.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
05 Apr 2026 22:42 IST
