Bengaluru, April 5 : Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is on the verge of creating history when the defending champions take on Chennai Super Kings on Sunday here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The right-arm medium pacer, who has 199 wickets in 191 IPL matches, is set to become the second player to reach the 200-wicket milestone. Moreover, he will become the first fast bowler to achieve this feat.

Only Yuzvendra Chahal has crossed the 200-wicket mark in the tournament, with 224 wickets in 176 matches. The leg-spinner, who went past Dwayne Bravo as the highest wicket-taker in IPL history in the 2023 season, got to the milestone in 2024 during his 153rd match.

Bhuvneshwar was handed a contract by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2009 but went two seasons without playing a game in the tournament. After another three unremarkable seasons with Pune Warriors, he was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014 and quickly rose through the ranks to become the lynchpin of their powerplay and death bowling.

He took upwards of 18 wickets in each of his first four seasons, won the purple cap two years in a row, in 2016 and 2017, and was instrumental in Sunrisers' only title win, in 2016. Though his performances tapered off in later seasons, he remained the franchise's all-time leading wicket-taker before he returned to RCB in the 2025.

In IPL 2025, he bagged 17 wickets in 14 games. While his new-ball bowling was potent as ever, his death bowling was as effective. Bhuvneshwar picked up seven wickets in the death last season. His double-wicket 17th over in the final against Punjab Kings was crucial in RCB winning a tight game to lift their maiden trophy.

While Hazlewood is unavailable for the initial matches, Bhuvneshwar is RCB's leading bowler. In the season opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he only conceded 31 runs, despite the batters launching an aggressive assault.

/IANS