The pacer picked up 17 wickets in 14 matches in IPL 2025.
India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has opened up on his prolonged absence from the national team despite delivering some good spells in domestic cricket. Kumar stated that the selection isn’t in his hands, but all he can do is give his best on the field. The comment is being considered as a dig at the chairman of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar.
Speaking to Dainik Jagran on the sidelines of the UPT20 League, the 35-year-old shed some light on his selection since his last appearance during NZ tour in 2022 after the T20 World Cup that year where India faced a semis exit against England.
Echoing on his chances of a comeback, Bhuvneshwar said, “Only the selectors can answer that. My job is to give 100 percent on the field, and I’m doing that. If I get a chance to play for Uttar Pradesh in the Mushtaq Ali, Ranji, or One-Day formats after the UP league, I will give my best there too.”
The senior pacer was once one of India’s go-to fast bowlers across all formats. However, the string of injuries and dip in form eventually contributed to his team India’s exit. His impressive resume includes 121 ODIs, 21 Tests, and 87 T20Is with 294 international wickets, along with being a consistent performer in the domestic circuit.
“As a disciplined bowler, my focus remains on fitness and line length. No matter how well you perform, sometimes luck doesn’t favour you,” he added, hinting at selection factors beyond pure performance.
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Bhuvneshwar Kumar is currently leading the Lucknow Falcons in the UP T20 League. He has guided the Falcons to the playoffs, and they are playing the Eliminator against the Gaur Gorakhapur Lions on Wednesday (September 3).
Bhuvneshwar, who gave more than a decade to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), was released ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) acquired his services for a whopping 10.75 crores. The seamer, the second leading wicket-taker in the IPL, played his part, picking up 17 wickets in 14 matches, bowling in powerplay and death overs, helping the Bengaluru franchise to their first-ever IPL title earlier this year.
Now, with the new domestic season kicking off, Bhuvneshwar would eye an India return with good performances, with two World Cups lined up in the next couple of years (T20 WC in 2026 and ODI WC in 2027).
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