Sachin Tendulkar breaks down Bhuvneshwar's "success mantra" in 2026 IPL season
Mumbai, May 31
Indian cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar hailed Royal Challengers Bengaluru for his sensational bowling in this Indian Premier League season and broke down his bowling style, pointing out how his accuracy and wobbly seam have been helping him.
Bhuvneshwar, at the age of 36, has been breathing fire with the ball, taking 26 wickets this season and leading RCB's run to today's final against the Gujarat Titans (GT) from the front. Bhuvneshwar has a chance of recapturing the Orange Cap if he takes three more wickets and secures his third IPL title.
Posting on X, Sachin pointed out that instead of going for his strengths, like a long in-swinger or out-swinger from previous seasons, Bhuvneshwar has been trying to bowl as straight as possible, and his seam is wobbly, making it difficult to read for the batters if it will move away from them or move in.
"Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been bowling really well this season. And from what I have seen, in the previous seasons, when Bhuvneshwar was bowling, there would be a long out-swinger or a long in-swinger. This is a variation he has either developed differently, or it is a conscious decision on his part, but he has been bowling as straight as possible. Because when a bowler wants to bowl a long out-swinger or a long in-swinger, the seam is always pointing towards the first or second slip for an out-swinger. And when bowling an in-swinger, the seam points towards the leg slip for a right-handed batsman, and the wrist position also changes," he said.
"But this season, if you look at Bhuvi's seam, it looks like a wobbly seam to me, like this. So when there is a wobbly seam, often even the batsman does not know if the ball will move away or come in after pitching. And that is what Bhuvi has been doing. He has been very, very accurate," he added.
Sachin also said that Bhuvneshwar's lines this season have been "very tight and on the off-stump or at most, the fourth-stump line".
"And from there, he tries to bowl the ball straight with a wobbly seam, and that ball after pitching either goes away or comes in. So that becomes a little difficult to pick because there is less of a signal from the wrist. And what often happens with a wobbly seam is that when the seam lands like this, the ball moves away, and when it lands like this, it comes in or stays straight. So that, I feel, has been Bhuvi's success mantra for this season. He has been bowling extremely well," he signed off.
In 205 IPL matches, Bhuvneshwar has taken 224 wickets at an average of 26.26 and an economy rate of 7.71, with three four-fers and two five-fors and best figures of 5/19.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Finally someone explaining the technical aspect of bowling in simple terms! Sachin's breakdown makes it so clear why Bhuvi has been unplayable. The way he discussed seam position and wrist signals... pure cricket education for us fans. 🏏💙
Honestly, I thought Bhuvi was past his prime after last season. But this turnaround has been incredible! Kudos to the RCB management for backing him. That said, I wish Sachin would also analyze why some young Indian pacers are struggling with injuries and inconsistency - that would be really helpful for Indian cricket's future.
The way Sachin broke down the wobbly seam technique... I still remember his 1998 Sharjah innings, and now he's explaining modern bowling tactics at 50 years old. What a legend! Bhuvi deserves all the appreciation - his economy rate of 7.71 in IPL is outstanding for someone bowling in the death overs.
This is the kind of analysis that helps young bowlers understand the game better. In India, we focus so much on batting that bowlers often don't get enough technical guidance. Sachin showing that even a 'simple' wobble seam can be lethal with accuracy is a masterclass. Hope every budding pacer watches this!
Amazing to see Bhuvi evolving at this stage of his career! But I think we should also credit the RCB think tank - Mike Hesson and Sanjay Bangar for creating an environment where experienced bowlers can thrive. The combination of Bhuvi's skill and the team's trust is producing
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