Bhuvneshwar Kumar was praised by Aakash Chopra |courtesy - BCCI/IPL Aakash Chopra was all praise for Bhuvneshwar Kumar after the veteran pacer grabbed the purple cap in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) following a memorable display for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their win over the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Monday (April 27). The defending champions thrashed the home team by a massive margin of nine wickets with 81 balls to spare as they registered the second-quickest run-chase in the league's history. Bhuvneshwar was the star of the show as RCB bowled out DC for just 76 runs after Rajat Patidar won the toss and chose to bowl first. The 36-year-old dismissed teenage debutant Sahil Parakh for a two-ball duck before also getting the wickets of Tristan Stubbs and Axar Patel as the Capitals found themselves reeling at 8-6. Bhuvneshwar finished with figures of 3/5 in three overs. He got able support from Josh Hazlewood, who took four wickets and finished with figures of 4/12 in 3.3 overs. Chopra hailed Bhuvneshwar for being able to succeed despite not having some standout qualities like Jofra Archer, Josh Hazlewood, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, and Dwayne Bravo. The cricketer-turned commentator claimed that Bhuvneswar is not celebrated enough. "What does a fast bowler need to be successful in T20 cricket? Common sense will say that either you should be fast in the air. If you play around 150, then you can be successful. Or you get extra bounce like Josh Hazlewood. If there is such a bounce, then it is difficult to play. Jofra Archer is also in the same league. He is also fast and gets extra bounce. Or you are like Lasith Malinga or Jasprit Bumrah. You have a perfect Yorker, which falls in the right place like BrahMos. Or you get a slower ball like Dwayne Bravo. I mean, if this happens, then the work will go on. But what if I tell you that there is a fast bowler who doesn't have all this. "Actually, he doesn't have any of these. But what he has is so successful because of that that he is currently the second highest wicket taker of IPL. We are talking about Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Currently, the purple cap is on his head. He has a long career of 13-14 years. He is a fast bowler," said Chopra in a video on his X account. "And he has been continuously bowling. What does he do? He doesn't bowl 140. He bowls mid-130s. He swings the ball. The ball is in his hand. Actually, the ball is in his hand. If he swings a little here, it's an out swing. If he swings here, it's an in swing. And wherever he wants, it falls. No matter how smart the pitch is. No matter how weak the pitch is. He gets the swing. Because he gets the swing in the air. He will find it. After that, what does he do? He developed a knuckle ball.He develops the slow one with a little leg cutter. His pace is low. If you want to be smart, then you need to have accuracy in the Yorker. And then the cricketing smarts. If you just want to see the smartness, how you want to be relevant, how you want to be successful, then you will have to... Don't go anywhere, sir. Don't look beyond Bhuvneshwar Kumar. "I think you are not celebrating him enough. You are not able to understand how good this bowler is. He is a rockstar. He was then. He is still there. He will be there tomorrow as well. Why? Because he likes to bowl. Continuously. In the same way. He is very understated, but he is a superstar," Chopra added. Bhuvneshwar has been in fine form in the 2026 IPL and is the joint-highest wicket-taker (alongside Anshul Kamboj and Eshan Malinga) with 14 wickets in just eight games at an economy of 7.61. He has taken four three-wicket hauls this season as the Rajat Patidar-led side is looking like the favourites to defend their title with six wins in eight games so far. They are second on the table as things stand behind Punjab Kings, who are unbeaten. Bhuvneshwar played a key part in helping RCB lift the trophy for the first time in 2025 with 17 wickets in 14 games at an economy of 9.28 Bhuvneshwar is the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL history (first among pacers) with 212 wickets.No other pacer has over 200 wickets in the league's history. This article summarizes a report by Aakash Chopra While Times Now has verified the public data presented, the interpretations of 'intent' remain those of the creator. This content is for educational purposes and does not substitute professional medical/nutritional advice. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Cricket, IPL 2026, IPL Points Table, and around the Sports. Aayush Kataria is a Senior Copy Editor at Times Network with four years of experience, having started his career in the organisation. He is a key memb... View More