Has Bhuvneshwar Kumar struggled in IPL finals? Key stats
What's the story
The stage is set for an epic clash as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT) gear up to face each other in the final of the 2026 Indian Premier League. The match will be played at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. Eyes will be on talismanic RCB pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has made the ball talk this season. On this note, let's decode his stats in IPL finals.
Outings
Two wickets from four games
Though Bhuvneshwar is the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL history, his record in finals is not really sensational. As per ESPNcricinfo, he has returned with just two wickets from four finals. He has a decent economy rate (7.5) in these clashes. Bhuvneshwar's maiden IPL final appearance came in 2016. He played for Sunrisers Hyderabad that season, and the final was against RCB. Though the pacer went wicket-less, he gave away just 25 runs in four overs as SRH successfully defended the 208-run target.
Struggles
Wicket-less in two more clashes
Bhuvneshwar went wicket-less in his next two IPL finals as well—both for SRH. In 2018, he bowled a sensational opening spell against Chennai Super Kings, giving away just 17 runs from his four overs. This included a maiden as well. However, CSK prevailed in this fixture. In the 2024 final, SRH were folded for 113 while batting first against Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR chased down the target without any hassle, as Bhuvneshwar's two overs resulted in 25 runs.
Spell
Fine spell in 2025 final
After going wicket-less in three IPL finals for SRH, Bhuvneshwar opened his account in the last season's summit clash. Playing for RCB, he bowled a brilliant spell against a destructive Punjab Kings line-up in the final. The veteran pacer conceded 38 runs and took two wickets in his four overs as RCB defended the 190-run total.
Stats
Here are his IPL stats
Bhuvneshwar has claimed a total of 26 wickets from 15 games this season. His economy rate is also a fine 8.00. Earlier in the tourney, Bhuvneshwar became the first seamer and second bowler overall to complete 200 wickets in the IPL. The pacer has now raced to 224 wickets from 205 IPL games at an average of 26.26 (ER: 7.71).