India, May 30 -- Shubman Gill pressed forward to swat Bhuvneshwar Kumar across the line, but the ball came wee bit in from good length to rattle the stumps of the Gujarat Titans' captain. It was as unremarkable a dismissal as one would see across this season of the IPL.

But that 10-second moment in the Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala carried the essence of Bhuvneshwar's bowling - old-school, minimal but highly effective.

The 36-year-old pacer is now a frontrunner for this year's Purple Cap, having taken 26 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 8, and only Jason Holder (7.63) has been thriftier among the top 20 bowlers than Bhuvneshwar.

In that, 12 wickets have come inside the Power Play segment at an astounding economy of around 7, fuelli...