Bhuvneshwar Kumar pushes for India comeback after strong IPL 2026 form

Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar continues his strong IPL 2026 season, leading the Purple Cap race and strengthening his case for a national team recall.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar IPL 2026 (Image Source: Google)

IPL 2026 has entered a crucial phase and one of the significant news is that RCB’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar (36) has regained the Purple Cap as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, while claiming 3/28 against GT on April 30, 2026, taking his tally to 17 wickets from nine matches. CSK’s Anshul Kamboj has joined him at 17 wickets, but Bhuvneshwar still leads the race for this season’s Purple Cap.

Bhuvneshwar has come out as one of the RCB's most reliable and match winning bowlers this season, with his experience and control. The BCCI selectors have not considered him since playing his last international match in Nov. 2022, but he is forcing for another opportunity.

This IPL season, particularly, has seen him achieving one after another personal milestone, but his priority is now shifted to contributing to the team’s campaign, ‘Of course, I want to achieve something, but now it’s more of a team. I’m not young anymore. Of course, when you’re young, you want to win those awards, and it comes when you do well.’

*Bravo, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel are the only players to have won the Purple Cap multiple times (2).

*Bravo secured both his caps with CSK in 2013 and 2015, while Harshal, after his 2021 triumph with RCB, added a second in 2024 with PBKS.

*Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the only bowler to win the award in consecutive seasons, achieving the feat with Sunrises Hyderabad in 2016 and 2017. Will he become the first to record the feat 3 times?

* Only three players in IPL, Sohail Tanvir (2008, Rajasthan Royals), RP Singh (2009, Deccan Chargers) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2016, Sunrises Hyderabad) have recorded the ‘double’: They won the Purple Cap and their team won the IPL title in the same season. Bhuvneshwar could become the first bowler to record this feat twice, if RCB also goes on to create history.

Let us see what significant, he has achieved:

Most successful fast bowler in IPL: 215 wickets. He is also the most prolific bowler in the IPL Powerplay and is all set to be the first to claim 100 wickets in the Powerplay.

A part of the collapse: Delhi Capitals collapsed to 13 for 6 in the Powerplay against RCB as batters meekly surrendered to the stunning opening spell from Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, which is the lowest-ever Powerplay score in the IPL.

Record 200th appearance: Bhuvneshwar Kumar is all set to play his 200th IPL match on May 7, against LSG and will be the first pacer to record the feat.

First bowler to have bowled in each of his 200 IPL matches: Bhuvneshwar is on the verge of this special feat. When he bowls in the 200th match, he will become the first bowler to bowl in each of his 200 matches. Amit Mishra (bowled in each of his 162 matches), Jasprit Bumrah (154), Rashid Khan (146) and Mohammad Shami (127) are far behind.

Record 325th T20 appearance: He made his record-making appearance against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on April 30 and recorded figures of 3/28 during his side’s four-wicket loss. This, however, helped him to achieve a significant career milestone as he became the first Indian pacer and only the second Indian overall to reach 350 wickets in T20 cricket. His figures : 352 wickets at an average of 24.51, including five 4s and five 5s, with best figures of 5/4.

Most wickets by Indian bowlers in Men’s T20s
391 - Yuzvendra Chal
352 - Bhuvneshwar Kumar
348 - Jasprit Bumrah
327 - Piyush Chawla
317 - Ravichandran Ashwin

Bhuvneshwar has played T20 cricket for 6 different teams so far and the wicket share representing each is as under:

Sunrisers Hyderabad – 158 wickets
India – 90 wickets
Uttar Pradesh – 44 wickets
Royal Challengers Bengaluru – 33 wickets
Pune Warriors India – 24 wickets
India A – 3 wickets

For someone who has won 2 Purple caps in consecutive seasons and is on the way to achieve his third Purple cap, is one of the 2 bowlers to have 200+ wickets in the IPL, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the most under-rated IPL veteran.

Note: All records correct as of May 3, 2026.