RCB coach Flower credits Kumar’s precision for consecutive IPL titles
The 36-year-old seamer took 28 wickets this season, finishing one short of the Purple Cap, as Flower echoes former colleague Dinesh Karthik’s praise of Kumar as India’s premier T20 bowler.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower has publicly commended Indian seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar for his pivotal role in the team’s recent achievements, including winning consecutive Indian Premier League trophies. Flower stated that the franchise’s success over the past two seasons would not have been possible without Kumar’s ability to deliver consistent performances under pressure.
The praise comes two years after former RCB batting coach Dinesh Karthik made a bold assertion to the coaching staff that Kumar was India’s best bowler after Jasprit Bumrah and the premier T20 bowler in the world. Flower, who initially harboured concerns regarding Kumar’s fitness, now echoes Karthik’s sentiment, describing the assessment as spot on and admitting that Kumar’s skill and calmness have surprised him.
Kumar, aged 36, has taken a combined 45 wickets across the last two IPL seasons, including 28 wickets in the current campaign. This tally represents his best IPL performance, approaching his previous bests of 23 wickets in IPL 2016 and 26 wickets in IPL 2017. Among bowlers who have bowled at least 100 overs, Kumar’s economy rate of 8.55 is only marginally behind Noor Ahmed’s 8.27.
In the most recent final against the Gujarat Titans, Kumar took figures of 4/23, dismissing key batsmen including Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Shubman Gill. His performance this season finished just one wicket short of the eventual Purple Cap winner, Kagiso Rabada. Flower noted that Kumar’s mastery of his art, particularly his control and ability to utilise conditions, was a pleasure to watch during training sessions.
The victory over Gujarat Titans was secured by five wickets, with Virat Kohli scoring an unbeaten 75 runs from 42 balls to hit the winning runs. Flower highlighted Kumar’s positive influence on the squad, noting that his competitiveness and demeanour have had a significant impact on teammates both on and off the field.
