Dissecting Bhuvneshwar Kumar's dominance over Shubman Gill (IPL)
What's the story
The 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) final will see Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) take on Gujarat Titans at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on May 31. The match promises to be a thrilling contest as both teams have been in sensational form throughout the season. Meanwhile, the face-off between Shubman Gill and Bhuvneshwar Kumar can set the tone of the GT innings. Here we decode their rivalry in the league.
Rivalry
Six dismissals across 13 innings
As per ESPNcricinfo, Bhuvneshwar has dismissed Gill six times across 14 IPL meetings. No other bowler has trapped the GT star as many or more times in the competition. Deepak Chahar takes the second spot on this list with five such dismissals. Meanwhile, Gill has managed just 80 runs from 79 balls against the RCB pacer. He averages 13.33 with his strike rate being a poor 101.26.
IPL 2026
Two dismissals in ongoing season
RCB and GT have met thrice this season, and two of those games saw Bhuvneshwar trapping Gill. In the first qualifier a few days back, Gill was undone by a wobble-seam delivery from Bhuvneshwar. The ball swung back into the right-hander and hit the stumps, giving RCB an early breakthrough. Notably, the GT skipper was dismissed for just two off seven balls in a chase of 255 runs.
Campaigns
Let's look at their stats in IPL 2026
Gill, who has been the backbone of GT's batting unit this season, must be high on confidence, having smoked a hundred in the second qualifier. He has overall tallied 722 runs across 15 innings this season at an average of 48.13 and a strike rate of 163.72. This includes seven 50-plus scores, including a hundred. Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar has also been at the peak of his powers. The veteran has claimed a total of 26 wickets from 15 games this season. His economy rate is also a fine 8.00.