Bhuvneshwar Kumar celebrates after Rohit Sharma’s wicket. (Photo credit: IPL) NEW DELHI: Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has urged Bhuvneshwar Kumar to return to India’s T20I set-up after the veteran pacer produced a stunning all-round performance in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s dramatic two-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026.Bhuvneshwar starred in RCB’s thrilling last-ball victory in Raipur on Sunday, finishing with brilliant figures of 4/23 before smashing a crucial six in the final over to guide the defending champions home in a tense chase.Impressed by the veteran’s impact with both ball and bat, Ashwin said Bhuvneshwar had done enough to deserve another chance in India colours.
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Krunal Pandya opens the match winning game and RCB’s playoff run‘Hashtag BringBackBhuvi’“The hashtag ‘BringBackBhuvi’, I would like to see it considered for the T20I side,” Ashwin said on JioStar. “Tick with a new ball that can finish the death overs nicely and if you need a six under pressure it will hit even the hardest part of the ground.”Bhuvneshwar tore through MI’s master-class bowling in the seams, dismissing Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav during a fiery opening spell on a surface offering movement and uneven bounce.‘That was proper test bowling’Ashwin was particularly impressed with how quickly the veteran seamer adapted to the conditions.“That was proper Test bowling after he realized there was something on the surface. He keeps testing you as a batsman,” Ashwin said.“To dismiss Rohit Sharma with that peach of a slower ball that just swung was quite unbelievable.The former Indian spinner also praised Bhuvneshwar’s selfless attitude during the death overs.“And later he was selfless enough to bowl a yorker when he could have gone for the fourth wicket. Overjoyed,” he added.
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Bhuvneshwar’s sensational season continues to gather momentum, with the RCB pacer currently leading the Purple Cap race with 21 wickets in 11 matches. His economy rate of 7.46 is also the best among the wicket-takers this season, underlining his consistency both in taking wickets and in controlling runs.RCB’s win over MI took them to the top of the IPL standings and also eliminated the five-time champions from the play-off race.
