Veteran India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has recalled his experience of bowling to West Indies great Chris Gayle during one of the most explosive matches in IPL history. The incident came during the 2013 clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the now-defunct Pune Warriors India (PWI) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Gayle produced a stunning unbeaten 175 in that game, setting a record that remains one of the most iconic individual performances in T20 cricket.
RCB finished with a mammoth 263/5, but Bhuvneshwar stood out among the PWI bowlers by conceding just 23 runs from his four overs at an impressive economy rate of 5.75. Reflecting on the contest, Bhuvneshwar explained how he tried to use the early movement available with the new ball against Gayle. The India pacer bowled outswingers during the powerplay and found that Gayle was initially unwilling to take unnecessary risks while the ball was moving.
“I bowled two overs at the start. I don’t know how many balls Gayle played and how many Dilshan played. It was swinging a bit at the start. Normally I bowl outside to Gayle, and he leaves it, and it was like that.”
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Bhuvneshwar Kumar revealed that Gayle began attacking once his opening spell was completed. Fortunately for the pacer, the destructive batter was dismissed before he returned to bowl his final two overs.
“But he started hitting after my 2 overs were done, and luckily he was out by the time I came back to bowl. Yes, I have dismissed him. But it was his smartness that he would not hit when the ball was swinging and then attack others, and we got away in that,” he said on UPT20’s YouTube channel.
Bhuvneshwar has established himself as one of the IPL’s most successful bowlers, taking 226 wickets in 206 matches at an average of 26.16 and an economy rate of 7.71. His best IPL figures remain 5/19.
The veteran pacer also discussed his experience bowling to teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who emerged as one of the biggest stars of IPL 2026. Bhuvneshwar admitted that the youngster is already among the toughest batters to bowl to.
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“You can say that. If not the toughest, he is at least in the top three to top five, the way he is batting. To earn this kind of reputation at this age, it is a big thing,” he said. Suryavanshi won the IPL 2026 Orange Cap after scoring 776 runs in 16 matches at an average of 48.50 and a remarkable strike rate of 237.30, including one century and five fifties.
