Bhuvneshwar didn’t play in the opening encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Ahead of a big clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) would be relieved about the progress of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He didn’t play in the opening encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) due to an injury, and the move was probably precautionary.
However, ahead of the CSK fixture, he was seen practicing in the nets in Chennai, which is a relief for the Bengaluru-based franchise. He is fit for the Chepauk fixture and was named in the RCB playing XI for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Southern Derby.
RCB Playing XI for CSK Clash: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
He is RCB’s premium pacer, and the team management spent a whopping INR 10.75 crore in the IPL 2025 auction. He has been performing exceptionally well in the league over the years, and his vast experience was one of the reasons why RCB went hard after him.
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While RCB won the first game without his contributions, they will still need his services as the tournament progresses. He will bowl in different phases and tough overs to ease the workload on other bowlers, especially fast bowlers.
There are certain reasons why Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s availability matters too much for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Chennai. Firstly, he is an adept new-ball bowler who can extract swing early on and will get some assistance early on.
CSK’s Khaleel Ahmed did reasonably well with the new ball in the opening game against Mumbai Indians (MI).
Bhuvneshwar is equally good in slog overs. He can nail his yorkers and has a few slower ones to remain unpredictable. The 35-year-old has experience playing in Chennai, which will be handy since he is a senior bowler in the team.
He will form a lethal partnership with Josh Hazlewood, who bowled well in the previous game and hit his lengths brilliantly.
With Bhuvneshwar returning, Rasikh Salam Dar missed out from the RCB XI to accommodate him. Meanwhile, Suyash Sharma is an impact substitute for the game and could come in the second innings.
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