Bhuvneshwar Kumar is an Indian cricketer who has played for the Indian national team in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. He plays domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh cricket team and in the Indian Premier League he has played for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He is a right-arm medium-pace bowler known for swinging the ball both ways.
He made his international debut in December 2012 against Pakistan national cricket team in a T20I match. In that game he took three wickets, including one in his first over. He later made his ODI debut in the same series and took a wicket with the first ball he bowled.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar became the first Indian bowler to take a five-wicket haul in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. He is also the only bowler whose first wicket in all three international formats came by bowling the batsman. In March 2021 he won the ICC Men’s Player of the Month. During the 2022 Asia Cup he finished as the top wicket-taker with 11 wickets.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar Records and Achievements
Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Nasir Jamshed in his very first over in T20 Internationals for India. With his first delivery in One Day Internationals, he bowled Mohammad Hafeez.
In domestic cricket, he dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for his first duck in first-class cricket during the 2008–09 Ranji Trophy final. He scored 128 runs batting at No. 8 in the 2012–13 Duleep Trophy semi-final, showing his ability as a lower-order batter.
In February 2018, Bhuvneshwar became the second Indian bowler after Yuzvendra Chahal to take a five-wicket haul in a T20I, finishing with 5 wickets against South Africa national cricket team in Johannesburg.
In the Indian Premier League, he won the Purple Cap in 2016 and 2017 while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He was also part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad that won the IPL title in 2016 and remains the franchise’s all-time leading wicket-taker.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar Career Stats
Bhuvneshwar Kumar played 21 Test matches. As a bowler, he took 63 wickets. His best bowling in an innings was 6 wickets for 82 runs. He took four five-wicket hauls and three four-wicket hauls. With the bat, he scored 552 runs. He has made three half-centuries.
He played 121 matches in ODIs. He picked up 141 wickets. His best bowling performance was 5 wickets for 42 runs. He recorded one five-wicket haul and four four-wicket hauls.
As a batter, he also scored 552 runs.
In T20Is, he played 87 matches and took 90 wickets. His best bowling performance was 5 wickets for 4 runs. He had two five-wicket hauls and three four-wicket hauls. With the bat, he scored 67 runs.
| Bowling | ||||||
| Format | Mat | Wkts | BBI | 4w | 5w | 10w |
| Tests | 21 | 63 | 6/82 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| ODIs | 121 | 141 | 5/42 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| T20Is | 87 | 90 | 5/4 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Batting | ||||||
| Format | Mat | Runs | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
| Tests | 21 | 552 | 0 | 3 | 77 | 1 |
| ODIs | 121 | 552 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 8 |
| T20Is | 87 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s Personal Life
Bhuvneshwar studied only until the 10th standard. He went to school for 12th grade but did not appear for the board exam. During his 10th year, he attended school for only two or three months because he was focused on cricket. He returned home about a month before the board exams and still managed to pass with 60 percent marks. He said passing that exam felt like a big moment, and his sisters even distributed sweets at home.
Even though he did not study much, he believes education is important. According to him, learning things helps a person stay confident. He also said that many cricketers, especially in Uttar Pradesh, do not focus enough on studies. He feels the younger generation should think about both cricket and education.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s Contract
In the 2025 mega auction, Royal Challengers Bengaluru signed Bhuvneshwar Kumar for ₹10.75 crore.
He said the first big thing he bought was a Maruti Swift car. He mentioned that he does not clearly remember whether he bought it just before or just after getting that first IPL contract. He also said he never had much interest in flashy or expensive things.
His IPL journey also came full circle later when he was picked by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2025 mega auction. Interestingly, he had earlier been part of the same team in 2009 and 2010, but he did not get to play a match during that time.
FAQs
Q. When did Bhuvneshwar Kumar make his international debut?
A. Bhuvneshwar Kumarmade his debut in December 2012 in a T20I against Pakistan.
Q. What happened in his first T20I match for India?
A. Bhuvneshwar Kumar took three wickets, including one in his very first over.
Q. What did Bhuvneshwar Kumarachieve in the 2022 Asia Cup?
A. Bhuvneshwar Kumarfinished as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with 11 wickets.
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