Sunil Gavaskar Names 36-Year-Old Bhuvneshwar Kumar As His IPL 2026 'Young' Standout Performer

Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, who recently attended a special event in Mumbai celebrating 850 life-saving pediatric heart surgeries for underprivileged children, also shared his thoughts on some of the biggest talking points in Indian cricket during an exclusive interaction with The Free Press Journal.

After speaking about the humanitarian initiative, which he described as the "third innings" of his life, Gavaskar turned his attention to the recently concluded IPL 2026 season and India's upcoming international assignments.

When asked about his favourite young talent from IPL 2026, Gavaskar surprised many with his response. Instead of choosing one of the tournament's breakout youngsters such as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi or Prince Yadav, the former India captain highlighted the impact of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

"It was just incredible what Bhuvneshwar Kumar did. The way he was able to swing the ball both ways and keep himself up to date in such immense heat is just impressive," Gavaskar told The Free Press Journal.

The praise comes after a remarkable season for Bhuvneshwar, who played a crucial role in RCB's title-winning campaign with his control and wicket-taking ability in pressure situations.

When asked about the ongoing debate surrounding players opting out of Team India duties due to workload management, recovery periods and injury concerns despite participating in a full IPL season.

While avoiding naming any specific cricketer, the batting icon made his personal stance clear. "That is for the authorities to take a call on the players who are opting out of the national team despite playing the full season of franchise cricket. Personally, playing for the country is the number one priority. It's as simple as that," he said.

The former opener further elaborated on the demands of professional cricket and the distinction between physical and mental fatigue. "It's a sport and you eventually prepare yourself physically to be able to play the sport all the time. A break that you might require can only be for mental peace, only when you're mentally tired, not physically tired, that's a different thing."

His remarks are likely to spark discussion among cricket fans, especially at a time when workload management has become a major topic in international cricket.