Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Decoding his IPL stats versus Kolkata Knight Riders
Fresh from a thumping eight-wicket win over Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad will meet Kolkata Knight Riders in match number 19 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). Kolkata's Eden Gardens will host the duel on April 14. As Bhuvneshwar Kumar has fared well against KKR in the past, expectations would be high. Here we decode his stats against the two-time champions.
Highest wicket-taker versus KKR
Bhuvneshwar has claimed 30 wickets in 25 games against KKR at 23.53. While his economy rate in this regard reads 7.67, 3/19 was his best performance. No other bowler has claimed more wickets against KKR. Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal trail him with 24 wickets apiece. However, Bhuvneshwar has been out of touch this season, having scalped two wickets in three games (ER: 9.77).
His numbers at the Eden Gardens
Notably, Bhuvneshwar has played a significant amount of cricket at Eden Gardens. In 11 T20 games at this venue, the veteran pacer has claimed 14 wickets at an economy rate of ER: 7.78. 3/20 read his best figures at the venue.
Numbers against key KKR batters
Bhuvneshwar has dismissed Nitish Rana twice in nine IPL meetings, conceding 39 runs off 35 balls. Though Andre Russell has also fallen prey to him once in four IPL clashes, the Caribbean star has a strike rate of 225 in this battle. Although the pacer is yet to dismiss Venkatesh Iyer, he has conceded just 14 from 17 balls against the southpaw.
A look at his overall IPL numbers
With 156 wickets in 149 games at 26.01, Bhuvneshwar is the eighth-highest wicket-taker in IPL history. The tally includes a couple of four-fers and a solitary five-wicket haul. His economy rate reads 7.34. Notably, he is the only bowler to date to clinch the purple cap in successive IPL seasons (2016 and 2017). He would be determined to enhance his tally versus KKR.
