T20 Cricket News: Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has demanded the return of veteran fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who performed brilliantly in Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)’s thrilling 2-wicket win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2026, to India’s T20 International setup.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s performance in the match played against MI was excellent. Bhuvneshwar took 4 big wickets for just 23 runs in his 4 over spell. Not only this, but Bhuvneshwar played an important role in RCB’s victory by hitting a six in the last over of the innings. Ashwin has been impressed by Bhuvneshwar’s performance. He said that Bhuvneshwar has shown enough to be considered for a comeback in the national team.
Ashwin told ‘Geostar’, “I want Bhuvneshwar to be selected in the T20 team. He performs brilliantly with the new ball and also bowls well in the last overs. Also, if you need a six under pressure, he can do it even in the most difficult part of the ground.” Bhuvneshwar broke the back of MI’s top order with a brilliant opening spell. He dismissed Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav on a pitch that had seam movement and uneven bounce. Ashwin especially praised this experienced player’s ability to quickly recognize the condition and adapt accordingly.
“When he realized there was something special about the pitch, that was perfect Test-match bowling. He keeps testing you as an opening batsman. To get Rohit Sharma out on that pitch with a slower ball which just swung was tremendous. Later on, when he could have gone for the fourth wicket, he bowled a yorker. I am very happy for him,” Ashwin said.
Ashwin also praised Krunal Pandya, who batted brilliantly and played a strong inning of 73 runs in 46 balls. Krunal proved to be a trouble-shooter for RCB in this match. Despite suffering from cramps in several parts of his body towards the end of his innings, Krunal bowled brilliantly against both pace and spin and kept RCB in the match. Ashwin said, “With Krunal Pandya, we know the HR manager and the project manager, but that was true ‘pressure management’. If you need it, please dial K for Krunal Pandya.” Ashwin said that with the win against Mumbai Indians, RCB is back to its rhythm again.