Bhuvneshwar Kumar Achieves Historic Four-Wicket Haul in IPL 2026
Bhuvneshwar Kumar's Remarkable Performance
Bhuvneshwar Kumar made headlines with an outstanding bowling performance during the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Mumbai Indians (MI) on May 12 at the Shaheed Veer Narayan International Stadium. The talented pacer reclaimed the purple cap by taking four wickets for just 23 runs. He struck early by dismissing Ryan Rickelton (2 off 4) in the first over. In a crucial third over, he further weakened Mumbai's position by taking out Rohit Sharma (22 off 10) and Suryakumar Yadav (0 off 1) in consecutive deliveries. Bhuvneshwar returned in the 18th over to claim the wicket of MI's top scorer, Tilak Varma (57 off 42).
Bhuvneshwar Kumar Makes History
With this achievement, Bhuvneshwar became the second oldest fast bowler to secure a four-wicket haul in IPL history. The only other fast bowler to accomplish this after turning 36 was Glenn McGrath, who achieved the feat in the inaugural season of the league in 2008 while playing for Delhi Daredevils against RCB. Bhuvneshwar surpassed Mohit Sharma's record as the oldest pacer to take four wickets against MI. Additionally, he broke Ashish Nehra's record, becoming the oldest Indian to achieve a four-wicket haul in the IPL.
Oldest Pacers to Achieve Four-Wicket Hauls in IPL
| Player | Age | Figures | Team | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| Glenn McGrath | 38 years, 81 days | 4-29 | DD | RCB | Delhi | 2008 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 36 years, 94 days | 4-23 | RCB | MI | Raipur | 2026 |
| Ashish Nehra | 35 years, 358 days | 4-10 | CSK | RCB | Bengaluru | 2015 |
| Trent Boult | 35 years, 275 days | 4-26 | MI | SRH | Hyderabad | 2025 |
| Lasith Malinga | 35 years, 241 days | 4-37 | MI | CSK | Chennai | 2019 |
When considering spinners, Bhuvneshwar ranks ninth on the list, although Anil Kumble achieved this milestone three times at an older age. Bhuvneshwar is the oldest player to reach this milestone for RCB in the last 16 years. Against MI, he is only behind Amit Mishra (38 years, 147 days in 2021) on this prestigious list. Bhuvneshwar also reached the milestone of 20 wickets in a season for the fourth time in his career, tying him with Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga for the most by a pacer in IPL history. Only Yuzvendra Chahal has achieved this feat more times (5). This match marked Bhuvneshwar's sixth wicket haul of the season, tying him for the most in a single season alongside Harshal Patel, who had an impressive 32 wickets in 2021, the highest in a single edition. Overall, this was Bhuvneshwar's 22nd three-wicket haul in his IPL career, with only Chahal (23) and Bumrah (25) having more. Furthermore, this was Bhuvneshwar's fifth four-wicket haul, tying him for the fifth-most in IPL history alongside Bumrah, Patel, and Mishra. Only Chahal (9), Sunil Narine (8), Malinga (7), and Kagiso Rabada (6) have more four-wicket hauls.