4 min readMay 12, 2026 07:59 PM IST
With a total of 21 wickets this season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar currently holds the purple cap in this year’s IPL. The 36-year-old pacer also sits at the second spot in the higher wicket-taker list in IPL history with a total of 219 wickets in 201 matches with an economy of 7.68 and is only behind Yuzvendra Chahal’s current tally of 219 wickets in 185 IPL matches. The 21 Test, 121 ODI and 87 T20Is veteran pacer last played for India in the three-match T2OI series against New Zealand in New Zealand in 2022 and the pacer has shared how he does not think about comeback for India and how he has stopped making long-term goals.
“I am not thinking about a comeback for India. It has been many years since I have stopped keeping or making long-term goals because whenever I have done that, it has never worked for me. I am happy that there are 200 matches, so many wickets, in the power play and at the death. I think it’s all a reward for what I have done over the years. There have been good years and bad years also. Honestly, at this point of time, I am not feeling anything special. Of course, I would be lying if I said I will not feel it later on. I think these memories will come in handy later. But at this point of time, I think it’s very normal for me,” said Kumar while speaking in a video released by Royal Challengers Bengaluru social media handles.
In Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s last match against Mumbai Indians last week at Raipur, Kumar took four wickets in this four-over spell including the wickets of Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma, Surya Kumar Yadav and Tilak Varma. His three wickets in the power play also meant that Kumar now has the highest number of wickets in power play in IPL history with a total of 94 wickets. Last season, when the Bengaluru side won its maiden title, Kumar had taken 17 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 28.41 and an economy of 9.29. Kumar spoke about how he has been doing the same things earlier as well. “I know 2026 is going well. I’m getting wickets, but I’m doing all the same things I was doing earlier as well. Of course, I can say the training has been a bit more, or maybe some things have improved since I haven’t been playing for the country. One of the best things is that I get quite a long break after the IPL. I think I play so much cricket that I stay in touch, and I also get enough of a break that I have time to do other things,” added Kumar.
With his four-wicket haul against Mumbai Indians at Raipur, Kumar also matched Harshal Patel’s record of six three-wickets haul in one IPL season with Patel having achieved it in 2021. Kumar also spoke about relying on basics as a fast bowler and how the art of bowling remains the same. “I am sure that the 70’s and 80’s since whenever cricket has been played, and till now, the basics are the same. I know the format has changed, it’s become a bit difficult for the bowlers because the demand of this game (T20) is different. It’s a 20-over game and the effort is to score more runs but the art of bowling—the basics like swinging the ball, having a good gather, what we generally call a good smooth action and someone having express pace or bounce—I think that is still the same,” concluded Kumar.
