Bhuvneshwar Kumar couldn’t have asked for a better venue than the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to receive a surprise, early call-back to the Indian team. The pacer was already at the Centre of Excellence in the city, preparing for his return during the New Zealand T20Is later this month, but an impact injury scare to Arshdeep Singh prompted the board to fast-track the comeback process.
If picked in the 11, Bhuvneshwar would be playing a T20I for the first time in about four years. While Arshdeep is not ruled out just yet, there is space elsewhere, too, in the form of Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav, both of whom have been costly. A veteran and a master of his craft, Bhuvneshwar can potentially add some much-needed experience and the expertise
of the famously short boundaries here.
He has a lot of good memories here, from his India debut a decade ago to two brilliant IPL seasons.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s record in Bengaluru
Bhuvneshwar has taken 29 wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium across formats, 26 in the IPL and three in T20 internationals, and he has never played a Test at the Bengaluru venue.
His IPL record there stands at 26 wickets in 19 innings, with an average of 23.35, a strike rate of 16.58 and an economy rate of 8.45. He has bowled 71.5 overs and conceded 607 runs, with best figures of 3/26 against Delhi Capitals on April 18, 2026.
His most productive stretch has come this season, with 11 wickets in five matches, including three-wicket hauls against Chennai Super Kings, Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals.
Virat Kohli (twice), Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant and Jos Buttler are among his notable IPL wickets at the ground.
His costliest outing was 0/60 against the Royal Challengers in April 2024.
His best figures at the venue came on his T20I debut against Pakistan on December 25, 2012, when he returned 3/9 in four overs, dismissing Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal at an economy rate of 2.25.
In his only ODI at the ground, against Australia on November 2, 2013, he went wicketless, conceding 47 runs in eight overs.
