Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar continues to impress with his bowling performances in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Bhuvneshwar Kumar secured a hat-trick for Uttar Pradesh in the must-win match against Jharkhand in Mumbai on Thursday, December 5.
Uttar Pradesh set a target of 161 runs for Jharkhand at the Wankhede Stadium. Bhuvneshwar Kumar provided a strong start with the ball. He put pressure on the Jharkhand batters by conceding only six runs in his first three overs. Kumar later returned to bowl his final over in the 17th of the game.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar Secures Hat-Trick Maiden to Help Uttar Pradesh Win
The 34-year-old turned the match in Uttar Pradesh’s favor with an exceptional bowling display in the 17th over. Kumar removed Robin Minz, Bal Krishna, and Vivek Anand Tiwari in consecutive balls and did not concede a single run in the over. He finished with figures of 4-1-6-3 in Uttar Pradesh’s 10-run win.
Bhuvneshwar became the fourth bowler to claim a hat-trick in the ongoing SMAT season. Akash Madhwal, Shreyas Gopal, and Felix Alemao achieved this feat during this year’s tournament.
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Bhuvneshwar Kumar Became First Indian Fast Bowler to Take 300 T20 Wickets
In Uttar Pradesh’s opening match against Delhi, Kumar became the first Indian fast bowler to take 300 T20 wickets. Among Indian bowlers, only spinners Yuzvendra Chahal (364), Piyush Chawla (319), and Ravichandran Ashwin (310) have taken more wickets than Bhuvneshwar in T20 cricket.
Bhuvneshwar has taken 90 of his career wickets for India. He is the second-highest wicket-taking fast bowler for the country. His last T20I appearance for India was in November 2022 against New Zealand.
Most Wickets by Indian Bowlers in T20 Cricket
| Player | Matches | Wickets | BBI | Average | Economy | SR | 5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 311 | 364 | 6/25 | 23.36 | 7.64 | 18.3 | 2 |
| Piyush Chawla | 297 | 319 | 4/12 | 24.45 | 7.53 | 19.4 | 0 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 324 | 310 | 4/8 | 26.64 | 7.06 | 22.6 | 0 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 292 | 305 | 5/4 | 25.10 | 7.28 | 20.6 | 5 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 233 | 295 | 5/10 | 20.38 | 6.89 | 17.7 | 2 |
| Amit Mishra | 259 | 285 | 5/17 | 22.28 | 7.16 | 18.6 | 2 |
Uttar Pradesh Bowler to Play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2025
Bhuvneshwar Kumar made his T20 debut in the 2009 Champions League T20 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where he went wicketless and conceded 31 runs in 4 overs. He has taken 181 wickets in 176 matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at an average of 27.23 and an economy rate of 7.56.
Bhuvneshwar was bought by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Rs 10.75 crore at the IPL mega auction, after being released by Sunrisers Hyderabad. He was a key player for SRH in their PowerPlay and death bowling, winning the Purple Cap in 2016 and 2017, and SRH won the title in the 2016 season.
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