Bigger lifts, leaner frame: The story behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar's age-defying IPL season

Bhuvneshwar Kumar's bond with RCB is longer than most imagine. In 2009, he made a one-off appearance in an RCB kit for a Champions League T20 game, also marking his T20 debut. From that match, only two others survived to play this IPL: Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey.

It's commendable for a seamer to ensure such longevity. Through his topsy-turvy career, Bhuvneshwar's physique has largely looked similar to the wiry figure that broke out in the early 2010s. Today, his fat percentage is at 13-14 per cent. Three years ago, that number stood at nearly 20 percent.

At that point, his international career had stuttered to a stop. He had already endured back, ankle and knee injuries. At 33, competing against the next set of white-ball fast bowlers would have been a far-off thought.

But here he is in IPL 2026 with 28 wickets, the most by an Indian bowler. A couple more, and he would have added to his double Purple Cap from 2016 & 2017.

Bhuvneshwar's remarkable return to his gold standard has not been a single magic fix, but a story of grind and repeatability. He doesn't credit motivation of any kind. In fact, he calls it "over-rated". "You read some quote or watch a video and get motivated for a few days," he recently said. "That fades away quickly. Discipline keeps me going."

In the last three years, Bhuvneshwar has put in session after session each day to target two goals: lower fat percentage, increase strength.

When he dismissed Sai Sudharsan in the final, sending down a sharp bumper, Bhuvi nearly touched 139 kph. He was marginally quicker when he cannoned one into the stumps of Shubman Gill just a week back. Over two months into the tournament, Bhuvneshwar still had the legs to range close to 140.

Surya Yadav, Bhuvneshwar's personal trainer, tells Cricbuzz how he's sustained pace: "His run-up had slowed down last-to-last season. We had to work on that. Injuries were one reason. Now, his strength has improved, his power, his jumps, his plyometrics, his throws – all have improved."

The injuries – back, knee and ankle issues – have all had cascading effects. Three years ago, his main weapon, backspin, started to wane due to an inadvertent change of action. "The body automatically modifies the action so that the load on the back doesn't increase. He was bowling with a more open-chested action because his leg and hip were opening up. Now, we have worked a whole year on closing his leg."

Another feature of Bhuvneshwar's excellence this IPL has been wobble seam. Known more for traditional inswingers or outswingers, his deliveries have been coming out in a straighter, smaller channel, seaming either way – something even Sachin Tendulkar pointed out during the final.

Albeit reluctantly, he realised three years ago that lifting had to become a vital part of his training.

"The fat percentage has lowered, but that doesn't mean his body weight has dropped," says Surya. "The weight is still around 73-74 kg. Because of that, he didn't get injured. We've lost fat, we've become lean. We worked hard on all his previous injuries."

That Bhuvneshwar doesn't play international cricket anymore has been a blessing in disguise. He has had time to work five-six times a week, going up to five-six hours at his training centre.

"We don't leave anything, not even plyos," says Surya. "In the off-season, we can build from scratch. We have a personal thrower, an indoor nets with a whole setup. When a season is about to start, he begins by bowling indoors for about two hours at once."

Surya pressed hard to change Bhuvneshwar's mindset towards heavier weights: "You will have to lift without fail. Unless you increase the load on the body, you can't improve."

Bhuvneshwar was apprehensive at first. Surya decided to pair up with him – being training partners would goad Bhuvneshwar into working just as hard.

"Earlier, Bhuvneshwar would do squats of 10-10 kg each on the barbell, 40 kg total. Now he himself does squats of 110-120 kg. His strength has doubled. He used to do clean snatches at 40 kg. In the off-season, he last left it at 70 kg."

The increased power has had a direct impact on Bhuvneshwar's endurance and prevented any injury recurrences. Since 2022, he has played a full season every single time, taking nearly 40% of his career IPL wickets.

His first-ball six against Mumbai Indians, a crucial hit over extra cover, will be remembered. Surya recalls how Bhuvneshwar came to him once and said he was opening up too early while batting and wasn't getting any power behind his shots. "I have to fix it," he insisted.

"He literally bats for 1-1.5 hours every day. No one knows that. We don't put it up anywhere. He gives 5-7 hours to cricket daily."

To best describe his dedication, Surya narrates an incident from the last Uttar Pradesh T20 League, when a viral fever had engulfed his team. 10-12 players had fallen sick. At one point, Bhuvneshwar was put on drips at the ground itself. "I also had a viral, I couldn't even get up," recalls Surya. "But he was ready to play the next day. I asked him: 'What's the need for this?' He just said: 'I love cricket. I love bowling. That's why I play.'"

Bhuvneshwar's regimen seamlessly seeps into his diet too: eating healthy, foregoing sweets, consuming twice the body weight in protein.

Fifteen years ago, in the month of May, Bhuvneshwar Kumar bagged his first IPL wicket. That wicket kickstarted a long journey to becoming IPL's most successful quick ever. It's another May, and Bhuvi looks as good as ever, a third IPL title now in tow. Whispers of an India call-up are swirling once again.

But the ageless wonder is probably already back in the gym, ready for another session, another day, another week for the sport he loves.