Bengaluru, April 6 (NationPress) Following his remarkable achievement of reaching 200 wickets in the IPL, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar emphasized that such milestones stem from a player's unwavering dedication over the years.

The milestone was achieved as Bhuvneshwar recorded impressive bowling figures of 3-41, assisting RCB in securing a 41-run victory against the Chennai Super Kings. This achievement makes him the first pace bowler in IPL history to reach this landmark.

With a total of 202 wickets in just 192 innings and an economy rate of 7.7, Bhuvneshwar now ranks second on the all-time IPL wicket-takers list, trailing only behind Yuzvendra Chahal. Over his extensive IPL career, he has also distinguished himself as the only bowler to win the Purple Cap in consecutive years (2016, 2017), showcasing his consistent performance in a format often challenging for bowlers.

Significantly, this milestone was reached where his journey began, with RCB—the franchise that launched his IPL career back in 2009.

Reflecting on his achievement, Bhuvneshwar remarked, “It’s gratifying to see my efforts recognized after all these years. The IPL has played a pivotal role in my career, and reaching 200 wickets is indeed a noteworthy milestone. Coming back to RCB to accomplish this feels like a full-circle moment.”

On his bowling strategy in this format, he stated, “Reaching milestones like this results from daily efforts over the years. The game is becoming more challenging, particularly for bowlers; it’s not solely about skill but also about adapting to conditions and innovating ways to confront batters through variations and strategic field placements. While we often say it’s a batter’s game, bowlers are also finding ways to complicate their tasks.”

Commenting on the victory against CSK, he said, “The pitch posed some challenges. While it seemed favorable during our batting, a few deliveries behaved differently when we bowled. We had moments where it appeared to be a good batting surface, but we adhered to our fundamentals and our collective strategy. I focused on adjusting my bowling as the pitch was heavier, and I was experiencing some cramps, so I kept it straightforward and concentrated on execution.”

Bhuvneshwar added, “As a bowling unit, our strength lies in sticking to our discussions in meetings, especially when preparing for specific opponents. Defending totals at this ground is challenging, but through diligent preparation and execution, we are finding success.”