India, May 31 -- In a tournament where a 15-year-old lit up the stage with his explosive batting, there was still room for a 36-year-old bowler to have the last say. That's what Bhuvneshwar Kumar proved right through IPL 2026. His crafty bowling effort in Sunday's season finale in front of a 90,000-strong crowd here added to his timeless quality.

If ever you needed an exemplifier of longevity, think of the Meerut-born pacer. Bhuvi first became an IPL winner in 2016 with Sunrisers Hyderabad - he was the Orange Cap winner - when one of his bowling partners was Ashish Nehra, now in the Gujarat Titans dugout as head coach. He was then the lead pacer for the men in orange, also for the Indian team, one half of the deadly combine with Jasprit ...