Royal Challengers Bengaluru batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik has rated Bhuvneshwar Kumar as India’s best bowler after gun fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Kumar was bagged for a whopping amount of INR 10.75 crore by RCB in the IPL 2025 mega auction after he was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has had an impressive record in the shortest format of the game. Kumar has taken 90 wickets in 87 T20I matches, which is the second-highest for India after Arshdeep Singh. The swing master from Uttar Pradesh has scalped 181 wickets in 176 IPL matches at an average of 27.23 and a decent economy rate of 7.56.

Meanwhile, RCB has always had a potent batting unit but their bowling has been their Achilles Heel. The Bengaluru franchise will hope that the addition of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood will end their bowling woes in the lucrative tournament.

“Just for the record, I am convinced that he is the best bowler India has after Bumrah even today. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the best T20 bowler,” Karthik said as quoted on X (coach_dk19).

On the other hand, RCB added Rasikh Salam to their squad for INR 6 crore, making him the most expensive uncapped player in IPL 2025. Salam will be expected to take the death bowling responsibilities with Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Both Bhuvneshwar Kumar (nine matches) and Rasikh Salam (seven matches) have picked 11 wickets each in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy for Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir respectively. 

RCB squad after IPL 2025 mega auction: 

Batters: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara.

Wicketkeepers: Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma.

All-rounders: Liam Livingstone, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell.

Fast bowlers: Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Yash Dayal, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh.

Spinners: Suyash Sharma, Mohit Rathee.