Top 5 Best Bowling Performances of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in IPL

Best Bowling Performances of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in IPL

Bhuvneshwar Kumar made his name on the domestic circuit as a bowler with exceptional control on his line and length as well as the ability to swing the ball both ways. These attributes soon saw him don the India jersey, where he has been a mainstay and one of the most reliable assets for the Indian captain to call upon.

Bhuvi, as he is called, has become a success in the IPL as well, with his superb control making him very hard to score off. A threat at the top of the innings thanks to his prodigious swing as well as in the death overs with his excellent control, he is a regular wicket-taker and leads the wicket-taking charts for his side, Sunrisers Hyderabad.

5 Best Bowling Performances of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in IPL

Let’s take a look at how he got there by recounting the top 5 Top Bowling Performance of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in IPL matches.

5. 4-0-19-3 vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2016)

Starting off this list of the top 5 bowling performances of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in IPL matches is his effort against Kings XI Punjab in an eliminator match in 2016. SRH were batting first and reached 162/8 in their 20 overs, a challenging yet not insurmountable total. KKR would have been confident going into their chase but came up against a disciplined bowling effort from SRH. Kumar led the charge for the men in orange, getting rid of top-scorer Manish Pandey before also sending Jason Holder and R Satish back to the pavilion. He finished with figures of 3/19 in 4 overs which proved to be invaluable in the low-scoring game as KKR ended up falling short by 22 runs.

4. 4-0-18-3 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (2013)

Although he is best known for his time with Sunrisers Hyderabad, one of the top 5 Best Bowling Performances of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in IPL matches actually came against his current side. In 2013, playing for Pune Warriors India, Bhuvi took 3/18 in 4 overs against SRH in the first innings. His victims included Parthiv Patel, Hanuma Vihari, and Cameron White, which dismantled the SRH top order. Kumar’s early jolts saw SRH falter to 119/8 in their 20 overs, which Pune would have backed themselves to overhaul easily. However, a match-winning spell from Amit Mishra saw them bowled out for 108, handing SRH an 11-run win.

3. 4-0-29-4 vs Gujarat Lions (2016)

Moving back to his time with the Sunrisers Hyderabad for the next entry on this list of the Top Bowling Performance of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in IPL matches, we head to an encounter against Gujarat Lions in 2016. The Lions boasted many an attacking batsman in their lineup, which Kumar took care of one by one. Aaron Finch was the first to go, dismissed in the first over itself. He was followed by Suresh Raina, who was looking dangerous on 75, before Akshdeep Nath and Dale Steyn also became Kumar’s victims. Bhuvi’s 4/29 held Gujarat to 135/8 in their 20 overs, a total that Shikhar and David Warner made short work of, overhauling it with more than 5 overs to go and without the loss of a single wicket. For doing the damage in the first innings, Kumar was adjudged to be the man of the match.

2. 4-0-14-4 vs Rajasthan Royals (2014)

Kumar’s Sunrisers Hyderabad took on Rajasthan Royals in Ahmedabad in 2014 in what would prove to be one of the top 5 bowling performances of Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s IPL career. SRH batted first but were kept in check by the Royals’ bowling attack, only managing to post 134/9 in 20 overs. In reply, Kumar struck the first blow in the first over itself, dismissing Ajinkya Rahane for 0. He then took the wickets of Rajat Bhatia, James Faulkner, and Kane Richardson to expose the tail, ending with figures of 4/14 as the Royals were bowled out for just 102. Kumar was rightly given the man of the match award for his efforts.

1. 4-0-19-5 v Kings XI Punjab (2017)

The most memorable outing from the catalogue of the top 5 bowling performances of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in IPL matches has to be his five-wicket haul against Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2017. Playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kumar had a total of 160 to work with after David Warner’s 70 had led SRH to 159/6 in the first innings. He got going from ball one, getting Hashim Amla lbw with the first ball of the second innings. The dangerous Glenn Maxwell was the next to go, before Mohit Sharma and KC Cariappa became victims three and four. All this while, Manan Vohra had been playing a blinder for Kings XI and had reached 95 off just 50 balls before Bhuvi trapped him leg before wicket to claim his fifth wicket. Kings XI fell 5 runs short as they were dismissed for 154, with Kumar taking home yet another man of the match award.

5 Best Bowling Performances of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in IPL

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