RCB's latest recruit Bhuvneshwar Kumar rolls back the clock, claims hat-trick and bowls triple-wicket maiden in SMAT

Bhuvneshwar Kumar turned back the clock with figures of 3/6. (Photo: PTI)

Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar turned back the clock with figures of 3/6 which included a hat-trick and triple-wicket maiden in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The recent performance will bring a huge smile on the faces of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) who bought the fast-bowler at the IPL 2025 mega-auction.

Leading Uttar Pradesh from the front, Bhuvneshwar finished the game against Jharkhand with figures 3/6 to hand his team a 10 run victory.

16.1 - Wicket 16.2 - Wicket 16.3 - Wicket Watch Bhuvneshwar's terrific hat-trick that helped Uttar Pradesh beat Jharkhand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai #SMAT | @IDFCFIRSTBankScorecard https://t.co/iZkdrM9S0S pic.twitter.com/p6V6hqkqh1
BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) December 5, 2024

With Jharkhand chasing 161, Bhuvneshwar picked up wickets of Robin Minz, Bal Krishna and Vivekanand Tiwari in the 17th over. Nitish Rana and Mohsin Khan also grabbed two wickets, each. Despite the victory, Uttar Pradesh sit sixth in the Group B with 8 points.

Coming back to Bhuvneshwar, after not getting retained by the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the pacer has found a new home at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as he was bought for Rs 10.75 crore at mega-auction in Jeddah.

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Bhuvneshwar Kumar last played for India in November 2022, in a match against New Zealand at Napier, shortly after the T20 World Cup. It has been over two years since he donned the national colors, with injuries and inconsistent form being key factors behind his absence.

However, Bhuvneshwar continues to make an impact in the IPL, delivering impressive performances every season. Last year, he claimed 16 wickets in 14 matches, and this year, he added 11 more wickets to his tally during Sunrisers Hyderabad’s journey to the final. In IPL 2025, he is expected to lead the bowling attack of RCB which is never an easy task given their home ground M.Chinnaswamy Stadium's reputation of favouring the batters.