Bhuvneshwar Kumar sold to Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Rs 10.75 crore in IPL 2025 auction

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was signed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Rs 10.75 crore at the IPL mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday. His base price was Rs 2 crore.

He began his IPL journey with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (then Bangalore) in 2009 but did not get a chance to play during his two-season stay. A move to the now defunct Pune Warriors followed, but his three seasons there were largely forgettable. However, his fortunes changed in 2014 when he joined Sunrisers Hyderabad.

There he quickly established himself as an important cog in the team, excelling both in PowerPlay and at the death. In each of his first four seasons with the franchise, he consistently took 18 wickets. He won the Purple Cap (awarded to the highest wicket-taker each season) in consecutive years, 2016 and 2017, and played a pivotal role in Sunrisers’ maiden IPL title triumph in 2016.

Although he remains Sunrisers Hyderabad’s all-time leading wicket-taker, he was released ahead of this year’s mega auction.