Bhuvneshwar Kumar is still the best bowler for India after Jasprit Bumrah in the eyes of former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik. Bhuvneshwar, who debuted against Pakistan on December 25, 2012, at Bengaluru, has played 21 Tests, 121 ODIs, and 87 T20Is for India. He was bought for Rs 10.75 crore by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 mega auction held in Jeddah over two days.
Bhuvneshwar is India’s top fast-bowler in IPL success. Having bagged the purple cap twice, he has taken 181 wickets in 176 matches for Pune Warriors India and SRH. The 34-year-old ranks second among all-time successful T20I pacers but last played for the Men in Blue on November 22, 2022.
His absence notwithstanding, Karthik- who is associated with RCB as a batting coach and mentor- has not wavered on his view that Bhuvneshwar is the best bowler India can boast of after Bumrah.
In a previously uploaded video by RCB’s official X handle, Karthik can be heard saying, “Just for the record, I am convinced that he is the best bowler India has after Bumrah even today. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the best T20 bowler.”
Bhuvneshwar had his term with RCB from 2009-10 but never made an appearance in an IPL match for the franchise based in Bangalore. He actually played one match for the team in Champions League 2009 season.
The mega auction for the IPL 2025 saw a fierce duel between the five-time champions Mumbai Indians and the Lucknow Super Giants for Bhuvneshwar, but finally, the golden franchise, RCB sealed it for a whopping Rs 10.75 crore.
Bhuvneshwar will now spearhead the bowling attack for the star-studded Virat Kohli-starrer side in the cash-rich league’s 2025 edition, which is set to kick-off allegedly from March 14.
Bhuvneshwar was last witnessed in competitive action on Wednesday, December 11. He competed against Delhi for Uttar Pradesh at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during the quarterfinal match of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
