Bengaluru: For Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the milestone came at a place where it all began. The veteran seamer became the first pace bowler to reach 200 wickets in the Indian Premier League, achieving the milestone with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the franchise where his IPL journey began in 2009.
The milestone was achieved when Bhuvneshwar posted figures of 3/41 to help RCB to a 41-run win over Chennai Super Kings, highlighting his batting prowess with the ball.
With 202 wickets in 192 innings and an economy rate of 7.7, Bhuvneshwar now stands second behind Yuzvendra Chahal on the IPL all-time wicket-takers list. Over the course of his long IPL career, the veteran seamer also became the only bowler to win the Purple Cap in consecutive seasons (2016, 2017), a reflection of his consistency in a format often seen as unforgiving for bowlers.
Speaking about the milestone, Bhuvneshwar said, “It feels good to be rewarded for the work you have put in over the years, so yes, I am really happy about it. The IPL has been a big part of my career and reaching 200 wickets is definitely a special milestone. What makes it more meaningful is that my IPL journey actually started with RCB, so coming back here and achieving that feels like a full-circle moment for me closes.”
Reflecting on his approach to bowling in this format, Bhuvneshwar said:
“Achieving milestones like this is always the result of what you do day in and day out over the years. The game is getting harder, especially for bowlers, but it’s no longer just about skill, it’s also about adapting to the conditions and constantly finding new ways to challenge batters, be it through variations or different field placements. We often say it’s a batter’s game, but I think bowlers have done a good job of making it difficult for them too.”
Speaking about the win against CSK, he said: “It was a bit of a tricky surface. When we were batting, it looked pretty good, but when we were bowling, there were a few balls that held up a bit. There were moments when it felt like it was a good wicket to bat on, but we stuck to our basics and the plans that we had discussed as a group. I tried to hit the deck a little harder as the ground was quite heavy, and I also had cramps, so I did I kept the plan simple and focused on execution.”
He further added, “As a bowling unit, it is best that we stick to what we discuss in our meetings, especially when preparing for certain opponents. It is not the easiest ground to defend totals but the way we have prepared and executed is working well for us.”
