Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has continued his excellent form against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI). He dismissed both MI openers, Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton, in short intervals.
Former cricketers and cricket experts are also mesmerized by the bowling of the experienced RCB fast bowler, who is one of the top wicket-takers in the ongoing Indian Premier League season. During the ongoing RCB vs MI IPL 2026 match, former Team India keeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik was in the commentary box when Rohit Sharma faced Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Dinesh Karthik revealed the secret of Bhuvneshwar Kumar!
During the match, Karthik said that Bhuvneshwar Kumar is still effective due to his consistency and discipline. And swing. Kumar is known as ‘Swing King’ among cricket fans. Even at the age of 36, the fast bowler managed to do this effectively.
Dinesh Karthik said during the match on May 10, “His secret is his consistency and discipline. He swings the ball both ways without mixing it awkwardly, fast or slow, as he did with Rohit tonight.”
Kumar made good use of the conditions against MI
At first glance, the pitch at the new Raipur Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium looked slightly but intriguing. This is RCB’s home match, yet, since the ground is new to them, both sides were not well versed in the nature of tonight’s game.
Due to the unknown nature of the surface, RCB captain Rajat Patidar decided to bowl first, and he invited the away team, Mumbai Indians, to bat in the first innings.
It had rained in Raipur in the last few days before the match. This may also affect the format of the match. With the conditions also favoring the bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar quickly found his rhythm against Mumbai Indians, one of the most successful teams in the league history.
In 4 overs, Kumar finished his spell with 4 wickets at an economy rate of only 5.75. During the spell, he took the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, MI captain Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma. Due to Kumar’s effective spell, MI was restricted to only 166 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs.
Bhubaneswar today (lengthwise)
Full: 1/6 (4 balls)
Good: 2/13 (18 balls)
Short: 1/4 (2 balls)
RCB fast bowler achieved a rare record
Through a spell of 4 wickets, Bhuvneshwar Kumar equaled an all-time IPL record. Before the RCB vs MI match, Harshal Patel was the only bowler to take three wickets six times in the league. Now, Kumar also has 6 wickets in the Indian Premier League.
Bhuvi said mid-innings, “To be honest, it was a difficult wicket. It looks like you are going to have a good time as a bowler. The next ball goes for the boundary. So yes, it was a difficult wicket, but we performed well. We had some plans for the match. Before the match, we planned a few things and we executed them really well. I was thinking I was being proactive.”
Achievement of taking most 3 wickets in an IPL season
6 – Harshal Patel (2021)
6-Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2026)*
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