IPL Auction: Bhuvneshwar Kumar earns an impressive bid from RCB

Ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, SRH retained one of the fiercest cores for the upcoming season. The franchise kept hold of the superstars from IPL 2024, where the team reached the finals but lost the trophy to KKR. Heinrich Klaasen earned a whopping 23 crore, while skipper Pat Cummins was retained for 18 crore. The franchise also went big in keeping their opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head intact, offering each of them 11 crore. Lastly, Nitish Kumar Reddy was retained for 6 crore. However, surprisingly, seasoned seamer and the team's highest wicket-taker in the league, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, found no place among the retained players.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up by RCB for 10.75 crore in the IPL auction

As SRH excluded Bhuvneshwar Kumar from their retention plans, the ace seamer joined the IPL 2025 mega auction pool at a base price of 2 crore. Until Kumar’s name came up in the bid, the second-day proceedings at the mega auction were relatively subdued. Following the high-octane action on the first day, teams with limited funds left in their purse treaded cautiously to complete their squads. However, when it was time to bid for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the arena came alive. Mumbai Indians and LSG engaged in a heated contest to secure the player. It didn’t take long for the bid to touch the 10-crore mark. As MI hesitated when the value reached 10.50 crore, RCB entered the race. RCB raised the stakes further, edging past LSG to snatch the 34-year-old seamer for 10.75 crore, making Bhuvneshwar the first player to surpass the 10 crore mark on Day 2 of the mega auction.

Interestingly, Kumar’s IPL journey began with RCB in 2009. However, the seamer didn’t get a single game for the team. He later moved to the Pune Warriors camp, a team that no longer exists in the league. Despite early struggles, Kumar’s career gained momentum when he joined SRH in 2014. From then on, it was a success story for Kumar in the IPL. During his tenure, he claimed more than 18 wickets in each of his first four seasons.

The seamer won the Purple Cap in IPL 2016 by scalping 23 wickets in 17 matches, a season where SRH defeated RCB in the final to win their maiden IPL trophy. Continuing his golden run, Kumar became the first player to win the Purple Cap consecutively, taking 26 wickets in 14 matches the following season. While his exploits had slightly tapered off in recent years, Kumar remained a key player for the franchise. Thus, it came as a shock when Hyderabad decided to move on from the seamer.

Nonetheless, Bhuvneshwar’s worth was validated as RCB secured him for an impressive amount. Surprisingly, Kumar’s bid at the IPL mega auction outshone that of Mohammed Shami. SRH battled with KKR, LSG, and CSK to secure Shami for 10 crore. Shami previously played for Gujarat Titans, who didn’t retain the pacer, possibly due to injury concerns.

In another update from Day 2 proceedings, Indian pacers dominated the spotlight. Deepak Chahar finally left the CSK camp as Mumbai Indians snapped up the seamer for INR 9.25 crore. While CSK fought for Chahar till the 9 crore mark, the team with a constrained budget let go at 9.25. Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals utilized an RTM card to retain Mukesh Kumar, whose price soared to INR 8 crore due to competition from Punjab Kings. Akash Deep also earned an INR 8 crore deal to join Lucknow Super Giants. Among overseas bowlers, South African all-rounder Marco Jansen was acquired by Punjab Kings for INR 7 crore after a bidding contest with Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans. Jansen’s recent big-hitting displays in the India tour of South Africa added to his value.