Bengaluru, April 6 – After Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar achieved the 200-wicket milestone in the IPL, the right-arm medium-paced bowler said such milestones are a result of players' consistent efforts over the years.
The milestone came as Bhuvneshwar returned figures of 3-41 to help RCB secure a 41-run victory over Chennai Super Kings. The veteran seamer became the first pace bowler to achieve this feat.
With 202 wickets in 192 innings at an economy rate of 7.7, Bhuvneshwar now sits second on the IPL's all-time wicket-takers list, behind Yuzvendra Chahal. Throughout his long IPL career, the experienced seamer has also been the only bowler to win the Purple Cap in consecutive seasons (2016, 2017), reflecting his consistency in a format often considered unforgiving for bowlers.
For Bhuvneshwar, the milestone came at a place where it all began. He achieved the landmark with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the franchise where his IPL journey first started in 2009.
Speaking about the milestone, Bhuvneshwar said, "It feels good to be rewarded for the work I've been putting in over the years, so yes, I'm really happy about that. The IPL has been a big part of my career, and reaching 200 wickets is definitely a special milestone. What makes it even more meaningful is that my IPL journey actually started with RCB, so to come back here and achieve this feels like a full-circle moment for me.”
Reflecting on his approach to bowling in the format, Bhuvneshwar said, "Achieving milestones like this is always the result of what you do day in and day out over the years. The game is getting tougher, especially for bowlers, but it's not just about skill anymore, it's also about adapting to the conditions and constantly finding new ways to challenge batters, whether through variations or different field placements. We often say it's a batter's game, but I think bowlers have been doing a good job of making things difficult for them as well.”
Speaking about the victory against CSK, he said, "It was a slightly tricky surface. When we were batting, it looked quite good, but when we bowled, there were a few balls that held up a bit. There were moments when it felt like a good wicket to bat on, but we stuck to our basics and the plans we had discussed as a group. I tried to hit the deck a little more as the ground was quite heavy, and I was cramping as well, so I kept the plan simple and focused on execution."
He added, "As a bowling unit, the best thing is that we are sticking to what we discuss in our meetings, especially when preparing for specific opponents. It's not the easiest ground to defend totals, but the way we have been preparing and executing is working well for us."