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Bhuvneshwar Kumar Is Back for India: Four Years Out, 28 IPL Wickets, One Remarkable Comeback
After nearly four years away from international cricket, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has returned to India’s T20I squad. From dismissing Sachin Tendulkar as a teenager to taking 28 IPL wickets in 2026, this is the story behind Bhuvi’s comeback.
For almost four years, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was
missing from the Indian team.
There was no retirement announcement and no big farewell. India moved forward, younger fast bowlers arrived, and one of the best swing bowlers of his generation disappeared from international cricket. But Bhuvneshwar Kumar did not stop bowling. He kept playing. He kept working. Most importantly, he kept taking wickets. On 6 October 2026, the BCCI named the 36-year-old fast bowler in India’s T20I squad for the five-match tour of New Zealand. It is his first India call-up since his last international appearance in November 2022. This is not simply a famous player returning because of his past. Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s comeback has been built on recent performance.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar at a glance
From Meerut to the Ranji Trophy spotlight
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was born on 5 February 1990 in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. He was never known for extreme pace. His main strength was skill: a steady action, good control and the ability to move the ball both ways. He made his first-class debut for Uttar Pradesh at the age of 17 and took 3 for 25 against Bengal. One season later, he produced the moment that made Indian cricket take notice.
In the 2008-09 Ranji Trophy final, Uttar Pradesh faced Mumbai. An 18-year-old Bhuvneshwar dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for a duck. It remains the only duck of Tendulkar’s Ranji Trophy career. Bhuvneshwar finished that innings with 5 for 78 and ended the season with 31 wickets. Years later, he said the Tendulkar wicket was a turning point because it made people notice the good work he had already done.
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“One wicket made people notice him. Years of control made him last.” |
A dream start for India
Bhuvneshwar’s international chance came in
December 2012 against Pakistan in Bengaluru. India made only 133 in his T20I debut, but
Bhuvneshwar gave the team hope with the new ball. He removed Nasir Jamshed,
Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal, finishing with 3 wickets for just 9 runs from
four overs. India lost the match, but a new international
bowler had arrived.
Days later, he made his ODI debut against
Pakistan in Chennai. His first delivery in ODI cricket moved back into Mohammad
Hafeez and hit the stumps. His Test debut followed against Australia in Chennai
in February 2013. Very quickly, Bhuvneshwar became part of India’s
plans in all three formats. He was also a member of the India squad that won
the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
How Bhuvneshwar Kumar became more than a swing bowler
At the start of his career, Bhuvneshwar was
known mainly for swing with the new ball. But international cricket forced him
to add more skills. He improved his yorker, developed slower balls
and learned how to change pace at the end of an innings. That allowed captains
to use him in the Powerplay and again in the final overs. His red-ball skill was clear during India’s tour
of England in 2014. Bhuvneshwar took 19 wickets in the five-Test series. At
Lord’s, he took 6 for 82 and made the famous honours board. He also scored
three half-centuries during the series.
That tour showed why Bhuvneshwar was different.
He did not need to be the fastest bowler. He could create problems through
movement, control and patience.
The numbers behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s India career
Before this latest recall, Bhuvneshwar had taken 294 international wickets for India across the three formats.
Tests: 21 matches, 63 wickets | ODIs: 121 matches, 141 wickets
T20Is: 87 matches, 90 wickets | International wickets: 294
Those numbers show a long international career, but they do not fully explain his value. Bhuvneshwar’s biggest strengths have often been control, timing and the ability to take a wicket before a batter feels comfortable.
The IPL made Bhuvi a complete T20 bowler
The Indian Premier League played a major role in Bhuvneshwar’s development. With Sunrisers Hyderabad, he became one of the competition’s most reliable fast bowlers.
He won the Purple Cap in 2016 and again in 2017, becoming the first bowler to win the award in two straight IPL seasons. By then, he was no longer only a new-ball bowler. He could attack early and return at the death with yorkers, slower balls and changes of pace.
When did Bhuvneshwar Kumar last play for India?
Bhuvneshwar’s last international before this
recall was a T20I against New Zealand at McLean Park in Napier on 22 November
2022. After that match, India moved toward other
fast-bowling options. There was no official retirement, but the gap became
longer: 2023 passed, then 2024, then 2025, and most of 2026.
For a fast bowler in his mid-30s, a return after that amount of time is unusual. Bhuvneshwar stayed in the conversation by continuing to perform.
The recent performances India could not ignore
Royal Challengers Bengaluru signed Bhuvneshwar ahead of IPL 2025. In the final against Punjab Kings, he took the important wickets of Nehal Wadhera and Marcus Stoinis as RCB won their first IPL title.
Then came IPL 2026, and his case became much
stronger.
Bhuvneshwar took 28 wickets in the season. Only Kagiso Rabada, with 29, finished above him in the wicket-taking list. Bhuvneshwar’s 28th wicket came in the final as RCB beat Gujarat Titans to defend their IPL title. This mattered because it was not a short burst of form from a player living on reputation. At 36, Bhuvneshwar was still taking wickets across a full IPL season and doing it in important matches.
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“He did not need to ask for another chance. His bowling made the argument for him.” |
He kept taking wickets after the IPL
Bhuvneshwar’s form continued in the 2026 Uttar Pradesh T20 League, where he played for Lucknow Falcons. He took 14 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 16.57 and an economy rate of 6.82. His best figures were 4 for 10 in Qualifier 1 against Meerut Mavericks. Those numbers are important because they show that the IPL was not the only reason for his recall. He continued to bowl well after the tournament ended.
Why India have gone back to Bhuvneshwar Kumar
India’s T20I squad for New Zealand includes
different types of fast bowlers. Arshdeep Singh offers left-arm pace. Mayank
Yadav brings high speed. Prince Yadav is another pace option. Bhuvneshwar
brings something different: experience, control and swing. The New Zealand tour may also give him
conditions where seam movement can matter. That does not mean every pitch will
suit him, but if the ball moves, Bhuvneshwar has spent years learning how to
use that movement.
The five-match T20I series starts in Christchurch on 22 October 2026. The second match is also in Christchurch, followed by games in Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton. His selection does not guarantee a place in the playing XI, and India have not yet named their ODI or Test squads for the tour. The next challenge is simple: if Bhuvneshwar gets a game, he has to prove that his domestic and IPL form can still work at international level.
Almost four years later, the circle closes
There is a neat link in the story. Bhuvneshwar’s last international match in 2022 was against New Zealand. His return to the India squad has also come for a series against New Zealand.
When he walked off the field in Napier in November 2022, nobody knew if he would play for India again. Nearly four years later, the answer is finally here.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back in India’s plans.
The ball kept talking
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has never needed noise. His career was not built around a speed gun or a loud personality.
It was built around skill: a good wrist position, a moving ball, a batter unsure which way it would go, a yorker at the right time and the patience to repeat those skills again and again. As a teenager, he dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for a duck. On his T20I debut, he took 3 for 9 against Pakistan. He went on to take 294 wickets for India, win back-to-back IPL Purple Caps and become one of the most trusted swing bowlers of his generation.
Then India moved on. Bhuvneshwar did not.
He kept bowling. He kept taking wickets. In IPL 2026, he took 28 of them. In the UP T20 League, he added another 14. And now, nearly four years after his last international match, India have called him back.
The comeback is not complete yet. He still has to earn his place in the XI and perform again at international level. But one thing is already clear: Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s India story was not finished when many people thought it was. The ball kept talking. Eventually, the selectors listened.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar comeback: quick answers
Why has Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned to the India squad?
India selected him after a strong run of recent T20 performances. He took 28 wickets in IPL 2026 and 14 wickets in the 2026 Uttar Pradesh T20 League.
When did Bhuvneshwar Kumar last play for India?
His last international match was a T20I against New Zealand in Napier on 22 November 2022.
How many wickets did Bhuvneshwar Kumar take in IPL 2026?
He took 28 wickets, finishing one wicket behind Purple Cap winner Kagiso Rabada.
How many international wickets does Bhuvneshwar Kumar have?
He has 294 international wickets: 63 in Tests, 141 in ODIs and 90 in T20Is.
When does India's T20I series in New Zealand start?
The five-match series begins in Christchurch on 22 October 2026.
Sources: BCCI - India and India A squads for New Zealand tour; IPL - TATA IPL 2026 Final match report