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The IPL 2016 will forever be remembered as the tournament of the Phenom named Virat Kohli. With over 950 runs to his name, he took scoring to another level entirely and it is highly unlikely that anyone would ever get close to what he did.
On the other end of the spectrum, Bhuvneshwar Kumar won the Purple Cap for his efforts with the ball as he grabbed a tournament-high 23 wickets in the campaign. While his efforts will always lurk in the shadow of Virat Kohli’s greatness, he made his own ground with the ball.
Sunrisers Hyderabad were widely considered as the best bowling unit in the tournament and despite David Warner's efforts, it was their bowling which won them the title. Despite the presence of the in-form Mustafizur Rahman, Bhuvneshwar Kumar stole the show.
Let's take a look at the best 5 performances by the Indian pacer that don't fade away, quite like the Axe Signature range of body perfumes:
#5 Final: 0/25 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Despite not being able to take a single wicket in the match, Bhuvneshwar Kumar stood out like a king among common folk. On a belter of a wicket at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bhuvi emerged as the only player with an economy of less than 7.5.
Although Chris Gayle was at his best, he had no answer to Bhuvi's tight bowling. He conceded just 11 runs in his first spell and he returned to bowl in the death again.
As RCB were batting on a run rate more than 10, Bhuvi was given the ball in the 18th and the 20th overs. His yorkers were executed perfectly while he changed his pace well to ensure that the home team ended on the losing side and Hyderabad won their first ever title.
He conceded just 25 runs in his allotted 4 overs and ended up an economy of just 6.25. Figures envied by even the experienced Shane Watson as Bhuvi lifted the title and emerged as the purple cap winner.
#4 Match 40: 1/20 vs Rising Pune Supergiants
In this game, he, along with Mustafizur Rahman, displayed the art of death bowling. On a difficult batting track—a rarity in India—he had somewhat of a field trip bowling in the final overs as Pune succumbed to his superior level of bowling.
The Sunrisers could only muster a score of 137 runs in their 20 overs. Despite the paltry score, David Warner was confident that his bowlers had what it took to defend it – and he was proved right.
After a terrific start, where Bhuvi got Ajinkya Rahane out on a duck in the very first over, it all came down the final 4 overs. It is in the death overs where the young Indian showed what he is made of. He bowled some deadly yorkers to squeeze the life out of Dhoni’s men – ending with figures of 20/1 after four overs and helping his team register a 4-run win.
#3 Qualifier 2: 2/27 vs Gujarat Lions
Another one of his very good spells came against the Gujarat Lions, but this was in a much more crucial encounter. It was the virtual semi-final and the Sunrisers had to play without their best bowler, Mustafizur Rahman.
The onus on Bhuvi to perform well had quadrupled with the absence of the Bangladeshi and he didn’t disappoint. In fact, he led from the front and halted the flow of runs of Suresh Raina’s men.
He struck in the first over yet again, taking the wicket of surprise opener, Eklavya Dwivedi, while Dwayne Bravo was bowled out in the last over. He conceded only 27 runs in his allotted overs as he restricted the opponents to 162, which was chased down by the batsmen as Sunrisers' Hyderabad qualified for their first ever IPL final.
#2 Eliminator: 3/19 vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Performing when it matters is an ability that requires special something. It seems like Bhuvneshwar Kumar possesses that coveted skill in abundance as this was the first of the final three games in the knockout where he performed superbly.
In the first eliminator against the Kolkata Knight Riders, SRH had to defend 162 runs in order to have any chance of qualifying for the final.
Now KKR’s batting line up is one made carved from a fine specimen. However, he rattled their batsmen with his superb death bowling—consisting of toe-breaking yorkers—that helped him end with figures of 19 for 3 in his 4 overs.
The dangerous looking Manish Pandey was his first victim and he cleaned up the tail as Rajagopal Sathish and Jason Holder fell late in the match as Bhuvi helped SRH round off a 22-run win.
#1 Match 15: 4/29 vs Gujarat Lions
This is the game where we saw Bhuvneshwar Kumar's wicket-taking nous at its best. After winning the toss, Sunrisers chose to bowl first on a good batting track. However, if one watched the way the Gujarat batsmen played, they would have mistook the pitch for a graveyard for batsmen.
Bhuvi was getting swing off the pitch and he didn't take any time to settle down, sending Aaron Finch back to the pavillion in the very first over. The Gujarat batsmen found his deliveries unplayable as the top and lower order fell to his wrath.
In the last over of the match, the 26-year-old got Suresh Raina, Akshdeep Nath and Dale Steyn out in a matter of 4 balls. His brilliant 4/29 in 4 overs set the tone for a 10-wicket win for the visitors.
