Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back in India’s T20I side, and on Saturday (October 17), he is expected to make his much-awaited comeback in India’s playing XI. The 36-year-old fast bowler from Meerut, who made his international debut for India in a T20I against Pakistan in Bengaluru on December 25, 2012, has not played for India since November 2022. However, in the absence of Arshdeep Singh, he is expected to lead the fast-bowling attack for Shreyas Iyer’s side against the West Indies in the fifth T20I of the ongoing five-match series at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Bhuvneshwar’s red-hot form in the 2026 edition of the IPL has generated considerable excitement among fans, and it will be interesting to see how he performs in the series decider if selected
in the playing XI.
Bhuvneshwar has extensive experience of playing T20 cricket. He has represented India 87 times in the shortest format and picked up 90 wickets. The right-arm medium pacer is India’s seventh-highest wicket-taker in T20Is and is known for taking wickets with the new ball.
Most wickets for India in T20Is
| PLAYER | TIME SPAN | MATCHES | WICKETS | BEST FIGURES (INNINGS) | ECONOMY | 5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arshdeep Singh | 2022-2026 | 98 | 145 | 5/51 | 8.62 | 1 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 2016-2026 | 100 | 126 | 4/15 | 6.52 | 0 |
| Hardik Pandya | 2016-2026 | 138 | 114 | 4/16 | 8.34 | 0 |
| Axar Patel | 2015-2026 | 111 | 113 | 3/9 | 7.64 | 0 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 2017-2026 | 56 | 98 | 5/17 | 7.1 | 2 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 2016-2023 | 80 | 96 | 6/25 | 8.19 | 1 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 2012-2022 | 87 | 90 | 5/4 | 6.96 | 2 |
| Varun Chakaravarthy | 2021-2026 | 49 | 75 | 5/17 | 7.58 | 2 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 2010-2022 | 65 | 72 | 4/8 | 6.90 | 0 |
| Ravi Bishnoi | 2022-2026 | 54 | 71 | 4/13 | 7.58 | 0 |
Bhuvneshwar has played 18 T20Is for India against the Men in Maroon and has 13 wickets to his name. In India, Bhuvneshwar has represented India in 34 T20Is and dismissed 34 opposition batters. His best bowling figures in India are 4 for 13 against South Africa in Cuttack on June 12, 2022.
Bhuvneshwar as a bowler in T20Is (opposition wise)
| OPPOSITION | TIME SPAN | MATCHES | WICKETS | BEST FIGURES (INNINGS) | ECONOMY | 5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 2022-2022 | 1 | 5 | 5/4 | 1.00 | 1 |
| Australia | 2013-2022 | 9 | 9 | 3/35 | 7.76 | 0 |
| Bangladesh | 2014-2022 | 2 | 1 | 1/21 | 8.00 | 0 |
| England | 2018-2022 | 10 | 9 | 3/15 | 6.80 | 0 |
| Hong Kong | 2022-2022 | 1 | 1 | 1/15 | 5.00 | 0 |
| Ireland | 2018-2022 | 3 | 2 | 1/16 | 7.09 | 0 |
| Netherlands | 2022-2022 | 1 | 2 | 2/9 | 3.00 | 0 |
| New Zealand | 2017-2022 | 11 | 9 | 2/24 | 8.02 | 0 |
| Pakistan | 2012-2022 | 7 | 11 | 4/26 | 7.26 | 0 |
| South Africa | 2014-2022 | 12 | 14 | 5/24 | 6.69 | 1 |
| Sri Lanka | 2014-2022 | 8 | 9 | 4/22 | 6.83 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2016-2016 | 1 | 2 | 2/8 | 2.00 | 0 |
| West Indies | 2014-2022 | 18 | 13 | 2/12 | 7.25 | 0 |
| Zimbabwe | 2015-2022 | 3 | 3 | 2/26 | 5.36 | 0 |
Bhuvneshwar has also played more than 200 matches in the IPL and is the first and only pacer to take 200-plus wickets.
In the 2026 edition of the IPL, Bhuvneshwar played all 16 matches for RCB and accounted for the dismissal of 28 batters to finish as the franchise’s highest wicket-taker and the second-highest overall in the league. He was RCB’s Most Valuable Player of the 2026 IPL and played a key role in helping the team successfully defend its IPL title under the leadership of Rajat Patidar.
