Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Full Name

Born

Age

Batting Style

Bowling Style

Playing Role

At the time of his India debut in 2012, Bhuvneshwar Kumar seemed the answer to the side's fast-bowling scarcity; though middling in pace, he produced swing both ways and had a devastating inswinger. In his first T20I over, he bowled Nasir Jamshed; with his first ODI delivery, he bowled Mohammad Hafeez; and in his first Test series he played a part in India's first whitewash win in a four-Test series, against Australia in 2013.

Bhuvneshwar demonstrated his mastery of line and length early, when at 19 he worked Sachin Tendulkar over for his first duck in domestic first-class cricket, in the 2008-09 Ranji Trophy final. He was handy with the bat too - in the 2012-13 Duleep Trophy semi-final he scored 128 batting at No. 8.

He was one of the lone bright spots on India's otherwise wretched tour of England in 2014, taking 19 wickets - including 6 for 82 in the win at Lord's -at 26.63. However, an ankle injury in Australia put him out of commission for most of the next year, and he played just one game in the 2015 ODI World Cup. When he returned he wasn't quite the same bowler - he had traded swing for increased pace, but not always effectively. Despite two more five-fors in 2016, against West Indies away and New Zealand at home, his appearances in Tests became more sporadic as injuries dogged him, and he played his last series against South Africa in 2018.

It was in white-ball cricket that Bhuvneshwar found his niche. In 2013, six months into his ODI career, he picked up 4 for 8 against Sri Lanka in a tri-series game in the Caribbean, and finished as the leading wicket-taker with ten wickets in four games. By 2017 he had formed a devastating partnership with Jasprit Bumrah, and developed slower balls and yorkers that made him India's go-to bowler at the death. In February 2018, he became the second Indian bowler after Yuzvendra Chahal to take five wickets in a T20I, against South Africa in Johannesburg. In 2022, he went one better, picking up 5 for 4 against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup.

Bhuvneshwar's rise in white-ball cricket mirrored his success in the IPL. He was handed a contract by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2009 but went two seasons without playing a game in the tournament. After another three unremarkable seasons with Pune Warriors, he was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014, and quickly rose through the ranks to become the lynchpin of their powerplay and death bowling. He took upwards of 18 wickets in each of his first four seasons, won the purple cap two years in a row, in 2016 and 2017, and was instrumental in Sunrisers' only title win, in 2016. Though his performances tapered off in later seasons, he remains the franchise's all-time leading wicket-taker.