Archive · 7 Oct 2026
Bhuvneshwar Kumar Returns to India Setup After Four-Year Absence
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a cricket bowler who is known for making the ball swing.
He was left out of India's national team in 2022.
Some people thought his time in the team was over.
He kept playing and worked on his skills.
He also performed well for his state team and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
He took 45 wickets in the 2025 and 2026 IPL seasons.
The report says those performances helped bring him back into the national team in 2026.
His comeback came despite a selection approach that focused on the future.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is set to return to national colours in 2026, four years after being dropped.
The report attributes his comeback to his swing bowling, strong work ethic and performances in domestic cricket and the IPL.
He took 45 wickets across the 2025 and 2026 IPL seasons for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
His form had declined during the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final and the subsequent New Zealand tour.
The report says Ajit Agarkar favoured looking to the future, while selector Rudra Pratap Singh supported Bhuvneshwar's return.
- Who
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the Indian fast bowler.
- What
- He is making a return to national colours after a four-year absence.
- When
- The report describes his return as happening in 2026.
- Where
- India's national cricket setup; the report also highlights his IPL performances for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
- Why
- The report credits his swing bowling, work ethic and performances in domestic cricket and the IPL.
Support for Bhuvneshwar's return
Preference for future-focused selection
Selection after his earlier decline
Support for Bhuvneshwar's return
Rudra Pratap Singh reportedly supported Bhuvneshwar's return, and the report describes his comeback as deserved after he worked on his skills and performed well.
Preference for future-focused selection
Ajit Agarkar's stated selection philosophy was to look to the future; the report says Bhuvneshwar was not brought back while Agarkar was chairman.
- Player
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Age stated in report
- 36
- Comeback
- Return to national colours in 2026 after four years out
- IPL team
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- IPL wickets
- 45 across the 2025 and 2026 seasons
- Previous setback
- Dropped from the national setup in 2022, following difficult performances
- Reported strength
- Swing bowling