Bhuvneshwar Kumar has emerged as a top contender for a India comeback after his exploits in domestic and with Indian Premier League champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru,.
He claimed 17 wickets for RCB in IPL 2025, proving effective with both the new and old ball. He raised his game further in 2026, finishing with 28 wickets, just one short of winning the Purple Cap for a record third time, at an impressive average of 17.89.
The 36-year-old, who last represented India in 2022, had earlier expressed his desire to make a comeback in the Indian team and also received Ravichandran Ashwin’s vote to return to the national fold for the ICC ODI World Cup next year.
‘I’m not playing to prove anything, but I’d be happy to play for India again. I have gone past that time when I used to wait for the next series,’ Bhuvneshwar said on Jatin Sapru’s YouTube channel.
Kumar said he initially believed he could return to the Indian team after receiving a call suggesting he might feature in the next couple of series, however it was not be and he has taken it in his stride.
‘Till a few series (ago). Because I had received a call. What they said, based on that, I felt maybe the next two series (I would play). But then I realised it’s not what they said. It wasn’t hurtful, because then I knew what was happening, and I made peace with it. It wasn’t easy, but family played a big role,’ he said.
