Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar became the first fast bowler to take 200 wickets in the history of the Indian Premier League during their clash against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. He reached the milestone by dismissing Ayush Mhatre for 1, becoming only the second bowler overall after Yuzvendra Chahal.
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Bhuvneshwar bowled a challenging length outside off that climbed sharply on Mhatre. Attempting the pull, the batter was cramped for room and mistimed it towards mid-off, where Rajat Patidar completed a simple catch. The RCB players gathered around their senior bowler as the crowd acknowledged the moment.
Bhuvneshwar, who made his IPL debut in 2011, has built his career on control and movement rather than pace. His most successful season came in 2017 when he picked up 26 wickets. He remains the only bowler to win consecutive Purple Caps, taking 23 wickets in 2016 and 26 in 2017 while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Across 145 matches for Hyderabad, he claimed 157 wickets at an average of 26.81 and an economy rate of 7.72. He has also represented Pune Warriors and RCB in his IPL career. This season, he has taken two wickets so far, while he picked up 17 last year to help RCB secure their maiden title in 2025.
As the format evolved into a high-scoring contest, Bhuvneshwar adapted by refining his lengths and using variations effectively. Injuries, however, disrupted his rhythm in the years that followed and affected his consistency. His release from Hyderabad ahead of IPL 2025 marked a shift, but the move to RCB offered him a fresh role.
He returned to domestic cricket, worked on his fitness, and rebuilt his game. His experience added control to the RCB attack during their title-winning run, and he has continued to play that role this season.
The 200-wicket milestone places him among the leading bowlers in IPL history. Chahal remains the highest wicket-taker overall, but Bhuvneshwar now leads the list among pace bowlers.
MOST WICKETS IN IPL
- Yuzvendra Chahal – 224
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 200
- Sunil Narine – 193
- Piyush Chawla – 192
- Ravichandran Ashwin – 187
- Dwayne Bravo – 183
- Jasprit Bumrah – 183
- Amit Mishra – 174
- Ravindra Jadeja – 172
- Lasith Malinga – 170
Bhuvneshwar made his India debut in limited-overs cricket in 2012 and played his first Test in 2013. He has not represented India since 2022, with his last ODI and Test coming against South Africa and his last T20I against New Zealand in November that year.
Earlier in the match, Devdutt Padikkal and Tim David struck fluent fifties as RCB produced a dominant top-order performance to post 250 for 3, the highest total of the season so far.
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