The Indian Premier League might be known for batters and their sixes, but it’s often the bowlers who win the team matches. And even as franchises shell out millions for overseas fast bowlers, it’s an Indian pacer who has become the first pace bowler to bag 200 wickets in IPL. On April 5, Bhuvneshwar Kumar scripted history, becoming the first pacer to bag 200 wickets. Another Indian, Yuzvendra Chahal, became the first bowler, also a spinner, to bag 200 wickets in the tournament.
In the RCB vs CSK game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Ayush Mhatre became Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 200th victim as he tried to pull a delivery only to mistime and give away an easy catch completely. This was Bhuvneshwar’s 19th wicket for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He found his success with Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he picked up 157 wickets in 145 matches at an average of 26.81 and an excellent economy rate of 7.72.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: The King of swing
He might be a forgotten chapter in Indian cricket but he continues to rattle batters with his swing. Bhuvneshwar made his IPL debut back in 2011 for Pune Warriors against Rajasthan Royals. But before that, he turned out for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Champions League T20 in 2009.
After spending three seasons at Pune Warriors, bagging 24 wickets, Bhuvneshwar moved to the Hyderabad franchise in 2014, where he delivered a 20-wicket season on debut. IPL 2017 was his best as he picked up 26 wickets. He won the IPL Purple Cap in 2016 and 2017 in two consecutive seasons.
However, post that, injuries constantly troubled the UP pacer and he could never replicate the same success. As SRH released him ahead of IPL 2025, RCB picked him up from the auction. There, Bhuvenshwar reinvented himself once again, working through domestic cricket. In RCB’s IPL-winning campaign, Bhuvneshwar bagged 17 wickets.
Most wickets in IPL
| Name | Innings | Wickets |
|---|---|---|
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 174 | 224 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 192 | 200 |
| Sunil Narine | 189 | 193 |
| Piyush Chawla | 191 | 192 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 217 | 187 |
| Dwayne Bravo | 158 | 183 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 147 | 183 |
| Amit Mishra | 162 | 174 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 227 | 172 |
| Lasith Malinga | 122 | 170 |
