IPL 2026: Bhuvneshwar Kumar Reaches 200 IPL Wickets In Full-Circle Moment With RCB

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 landmark with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the franchise where his IPL journey first started in 2009.

The milestone arrived as Bhuvneshwar returned figures of 3/41 to help RCB secure a 41-run victory over Chennai Super Kings, underlining his impact with the ball.

With 202 wickets in 192 innings at an economy rate of 7.7, Bhuvneshwar now sits second on the IPL’s all-time wicket-takers list, behind Yuzvendra Chahal. Across his long IPL career, the experienced seamer has also remained the only bowler to win the Purple Cap in consecutive seasons (2016, 2017), a reflection of his consistency in a format often considered unforgiving for bowlers.

Speaking on the milestone, Bhuvneshwar said, “It feels good to get rewarded for the work you’ve been putting in over the years, so yes, I’m really happy about that. The IPL has been a big part of my career, and reaching 200 wickets is definitely a special milestone. What makes it even more meaningful is that my IPL journey actually started with RCB, so to come back here and achieve this feels like a full-circle moment for me.”

Reflecting on his approach to bowling in the 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 tougher, especially for bowlers, but it’s not just about skill anymore, it’s also about adapting to the conditions and constantly finding new ways to challenge batters, whether through variations or different field placements. We often say it’s a batter’s game, but I think bowlers have been doing a good job of making things difficult for them as well.”

Speaking about the victory against CSK he said, “It was a slightly tricky surface. When we were batting it looked quite good, but when we bowled, there were a few balls that held up a bit. There were moments when it felt like a good wicket to bat on, but we stuck to our basics and the plans we had discussed as a group. I tried to hit the deck a little more as the ground was quite heavy, and I was cramping as well, so I kept the plan simple and focused on execution.

He further added, “As a bowling unit, the best thing is that we are sticking to what we discuss in our meetings, especially when preparing for specific opponents. It’s not the easiest ground to defend totals, but the way we have been preparing and executing is working well for us.”