Bhuvneshwar Kumar is “sort of an artist now”. Ambati Rayudu had reason to get creative with his descriptions, since Bhuvneshwar, 36, had put on a bit of a show to set up – and then finish – a Royal Challengers Bengaluru‘s (RCB) win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in Raipur.

It was his four-wicket haul that checked MI’s progress in the first innings, and then, with RCB needing nine off the last three balls, Bhuvneshwar’s six off a yorker over the off-side field took his team within a shot of victory. It was eventually completed off the final ball.

“I think it’s just his ability and especially on a pitch like that where most of the balls would hit the stumps [that] he is even more lethal,” Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo TimeOut after RCB had knocked MI out of the IPL 2026 playoffs race. “Generally, when a batsman gets beaten on a bouncy track, [the ball misses the stumps], but on these sort of pitches, he would more or less get you out lbw or caught behind.

“Today, we have seen a beautiful slower ball against Rohit [Sharma] as well his lucky ball, which always swings away. He has a lot of control over it. He’s becoming sort of an artist now. He’s just becoming so, so good at what he’s doing.”

Strike one was in the first over itself, Ryan Rickelton mistiming an attempted hit to a good-length delivery to mid-off. Next over, it was Rohit’s turn, misreading a knuckle-ball that he ended up edging behind. Next ball, a typical Bhuvneshwar wicket: Suryakumar Yadav following a pitched-up delivery that swung late, only to edge it to Virat Kohli at slip. The fourth came in the 18th over, Tilak Varma nicking an attempted scoop to have his wickets rearranged.

Bhuvneshwar finished with 4 for 23, taking him to 21 wickets and the top of the Purple Cap table at the end of it.

To Deep Dasgupta, the secret to Bhuvneshwar’s success is down to how he has been releasing the ball – somewhat like in the mid-2010s, when he was at his peak, playing regularly for India and also topping the Purple Cap table two seasons in a row – 2016 and 2017 – with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

“The skill set was always there. It’s just that, at times, because he’s never been the quickest, it’s just that release at times [that’s made him] lose some pace off the pitch,” Dasgupta said. “I think he’s [got it] back again. [Against MI] he was really good with his release. That backspin on the ball – I think he’s got that back.

“And that’s something I’ve actually tried to look at: how we can see the release. But it’s difficult to see it [on TV], but you can feel it looking at the batters playing at it, and kind of hurrying [into their shots] even at 133-134kph. He’s hurrying the batters. The batters’ are a little late playing at him. So that just tells you that he’s got that release back.”

Then came the heroics with the bat.

Speaking after the game, Bhuvneshwar said “six, for sure” when asked what made him happier: all the wickets or that one shot off Raj Angad Bawa. “Because I’ve bowled [well] many times before, I’ve taken a few wickets as well. But yeah, this is the thing I enjoyed the most.”

Rayudu and Dasgupta put that shot down to Bhuvneshwar’s cricket intelligence.

“Actually, Bhuvi plays that shot over the covers. I’ve seen him hit a few sixes over covers,” Rayudu said. “So that’s his area of strength. And he [Bawa] bowled exactly where Bhuvi wanted it. It’s still great for Bhuvi to execute it the way he did. First ball.”

The cricket intelligence extended to the next ball. Slower ball from Bawa, which Bhuvneshwar sent to long-off. A tight second run might have been on, and non-striker Salam wanted it, but Bhuvneshwar turned it down. Salam faced the last ball, but had Bhuvneshwar been run out going for the second, it would have been Josh Hazlewood on strike for the last ball.

“One of the things we keep talking about [when it comes to] Bhuvi is his skill and all, but obviously he’s survived and done so well [over the years], it’s not just because of his skill set [but] also is cricketing brains and is cricketing IQ,” Dasgupta said. “Today was a great example with the six and that single after that to kind of deny Rasikh who was running for the second.”