Bigger than Bumrah? Mohit Sharma claims Bhuvneshwar Kumar is worth over ₹20 crore

Ex-India and CSK pacer Mohit Sharma has been all praises for Royal Challengers Bangalore's star pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Bhuvneshwar currently holds the Purple Cap, having taken 14 wickets in 8 matches in IPL 2026. 'Bhuvi' was particularly incisive in RCB's win over Delhi Capitals on Monday, April 28.

Kumar took 3 wickets in the win, with all of them coming in the powerplay. He played arguably the most crucial part in ensuring that the Delhi Capitals were bowled out for just 75.

"Worth double his current price tag" - Mohit Sharma on Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Even though 'Bhuvi' has not played any T20 internationals for India since 2022, RCB still prioritised his experience during the auction in IPL 2025.

RCB survived a nagging bidding war from the Mumbai Indians and signed Kumar for ₹10.75 crore. He would eventually play a crucial role in RCB's first IPL title in 2025.

Sharma spoke to Cricbuzz and compared RCB's previous bowling lineups to the one that they have now.

"Their batting has been good since the beginning; their problem was that they used to score 225, but were unable to stop the opposition from chasing it. With the previous bowling attack, even 220-230 was getting chased down. The good thing that they did in the auction is that they went with experience. In this format, you need experience in bowling," he said.

Mohit Sharma continued and made a bold claim. He said that in his current form, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was worth at least double his current price tag.

For context, the highest-paid fast bowlers in IPL 2026 are Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins, and Arshdeep Singh, who are being paid ₹18 crore each.

If Bhuvneshwar's price tag were to be doubled, he would receive more money than the aforementioned names.

"They [RCB] went after Bhuvi, till the very end. Others might have felt that Bhuvi was not worth that much, so they stopped bidding. I am still saying Bhuvi's worth is double his current price tag. In terms of his execution and skillset, he demonstrated that last year. After that, RCB went for Hazlewood, and his experience has come in handy here. You can see what they are doing together," Mohit Sharma added.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar in IPL 2026

Currently, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the Purple Cap holder with 14 wickets in 8 matches. His bowling average of 16.85 is the best among all players who have bowled at least 20 overs in IPL 2026.

With the same qualifier, his economy of 7.61 is the second best in the league and the best by a fast bowler. Earlier in this tournament, he had become the first pacer to take 200 wickets in IPL history.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is also on the verge of becoming the first fast bowler to play 200 matches in the IPL.

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RCB's next match in IPL 2026

Royal Challengers Bangalore's next match will be against the Gujarat Titans, a team they have already beaten once before.

Bhuvneshwar will be a crucial piece of the puzzle as RCB will look to keep their dominance in the tournament intact.