India, Sept. 15 -- There has been a recent murmur in Indian cricket, with fans and many experts calling in unison for Bhuvneshwar Kumar's return to the Indian fold after four years. He last played for the national team in November 2022, in a T20I series in New Zealand, before falling out of the reckoning. But consecutive IPL title-winning campaigns with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in which he starred with the ball, saw him back in conversations about a place in the Indian team.

He picked up 17 wickets for RCB in IPL 2025, making an impact with both the new and old ball, and then took his performance up another notch in 2026, when he snared 28 wickets - one short of winning the Purple Cap for a record third time - at an average of 17.89....