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While the cricketing world has spent the IPL season marveling at 15-year-old Vibhu Suryavanshi – and rightly so – another remarkable story has quietly emerged at the opposite end of the age spectrum.At 36, an age when fast bowlers are usually dealing with declining velocity, recurring injuries or retirement plans, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Continues to deliver for Royal Challengers Bengaluru with the same discipline and consistency that has defined his career for over a decade.Which naturally begs the question, how have fast bowlers survived and thrived in the IPL for so long?According to the man responsible for most of Bhuvneshwar’s fitness work, the answer lies in years of meticulous planning and discipline that most people never see.TimesofIndia.com spoke to Surya Pratap Yadav, Bhuvneshwar’s personal strength and conditioning coach, who has worked extensively on his fitness. Asked how Bhuvi, even at the age of 36, continues to bowl with the same determination and consistency, he points to a change that has come from being away from the spotlight.Work behind the overs“Our primary focus is to reduce body fat while increasing muscle mass. As athletes age, muscle loss becomes a concern, so we worked extensively on strength training, protein intake, and supplementation.“Bhubaneswar’s body fat percentage has come down from 19% to 14%, while maintaining his weight, which indicates increased muscle mass. His strength levels have improved significantly, and this has helped increase force production and running speed,” Surya Pratap told TimesofIndia.com.
Bhuvneshwar, the swing king, has been one of RCB’s best performers in the last two seasons. Long after his last Indian appearance in November 2022, he remains among the most reliable fast bowlers in Indian cricket.But the fitness benefits are only part of the story.At an age when bowlers often struggle with niggles, hamstring problems and recurring injuries, Bhuvneshwar has been remarkably durable.Discipline is the biggest factor. He understands the weak points of his body and works diligently on them. We dedicate about an hour each day to rehabilitation and injury prevention exercises. Along with that, we pay a lot of attention to recovery, hydration, sleep, protein intake and supplements. All these factors help him stay fit throughout the season,” said Surya Pratap.Longevity numbersStatistics show that this discipline has translated into one of the IPL’s most remarkable longevity stories.Since his IPL debut in 2011, no fast bowler has taken more wickets than Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Only Yuzvinder Chahal has taken more wickets overall during this period.No fast bowler has played more IPL matches than Bhuvneshwar’s 205. Next best among fast bowlers is Jasprit Bumrah with 158.
No fast bowler bowled more overs than Bhuvneshwar’s 762.4. Bumrah, despite being one of the premier bowlers of his generation, is lagging behind at 605.1 over 160 overs.Only Dwayne Bravo and Bhuvneshwar among pacers have taken 25 or more wickets in multiple IPL seasons. Only a select group of Lasith Malinga, Kagiso Rabada, Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar have recorded four separate 20-wicket IPL campaigns.The way the IPL is going, it seems like it’s made for drag racers: young legs, fresh shoulders and explosive tops. But Bhuvneshwar belongs to an entirely different category.He’s the sporting equivalent of a Le Mans endurance machine – built not for one blistering lap, but for years of sustained punishment.No shortcuts, no experience.When Bhuvneshwar made his IPL debut in 2011, Dale Steyn was at the peak of his powers, Zaheer Khan was India’s pace spearhead, Munaf Patel was a World Cup winner and Morne Morkel, Vinay Kumar and Umesh Yadav were among the leading wicket-takers in the competition. After fifteen seasons, most of those names belong to another era.Bhuvneshwar, though, has never shied away from the grind, even after being out of the national set-up.Between 2022 and 2026, Bhuvneshwar transitioned from India to a regular domestic workhorse. Moving on to the selectors, he continued to lead Uttar Pradesh’s bowling attack in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy while being a key figure in the IPL.Part of the reason he maintains these workloads is his refusal to experiment during the season.Asked if Bhuvi changed his diet during the IPL given the demands of the tournament, his coach revealed that the routine remained largely unchanged. The commitment extends beyond the season.“No. We avoid introducing anything new during the season. Any supplements, training methods, or recovery protocols are tested beforehand. During the tournament, the aim is to keep the body fresh and allow the player to focus on cricket instead of experimenting with new fitness routines,” Pratap told TOI.Bhuvneshwar took 29 wickets in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy in last two years and 43 wickets for RCB in last two IPL seasons.According to his coach, none of this happens by accident.“A lot more than people realise, he spends 6-7 hours a day training. This includes gym sessions, recovery work, recovery routines, batting practice, bowling practice, and training in different environments. Even if it doesn’t always show on social media, the amount of effort he puts in every day is immense,” Surya Pratap Yadav told TOI.One of the last dead is still running.With fans and pundits increasingly clamoring for his return to the national team, Bhuvneshwar has been notably quiet about the debate.Reflecting on his long journey in Indian cricket, he recently explained why he no longer spends time chasing distant goals.
“I am not thinking about returning to India. I have stopped maintaining or making long-term goals because whenever I did, it never worked for me. I am happy that I have played 200 matches and taken so many wickets in the powerplay and at the death. I think this is all a reward for what I have done over the years.“There have been good years and bad years. Honestly, right now, I don’t feel anything special. Of course, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t feel it later. Once I stop playing, I think it will be the memories that will come in handy later. But for me at the moment, I think it’s very normal,” Bhuvneshwar said in a video.And perhaps that explains why he has lasted so long.He is no longer chasing milestones. Nor is he trying to prove a point. What remains is the work — the daily routines, gym sessions, rehab exercises and discipline that have quietly sustained a career spanning nearly two decades.His coach echoed the same sentiment.“Every cricketer wants to represent India. Bhuvneshwar continues to work extremely hard and is fully committed to his cricket. His dedication to training and preparation reflects this ambition,” Surya added.IPL will always celebrate its new stars. It should. But every now and then it reminds us of the value of endurance.Fifteen years after his debut, while generations of fast bowlers have come and gone, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is still one of the last men running.
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