Virat Kohli, at 281 appearances the most capped player in IPL history, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been bowling in the tournament for about 16 years. (BCCI/Creimas Photo)

RCB’s philosophy won the IPL — now comes the test against Gujarat Titans

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been bowling in the IPL for sixteen years. The action has not changed. The wrist position, the seam held upright, the slight adjustment that makes the ball go in or out — none of it has changed. What has changed is that batsmen have had sixteen years to study it and still cannot pick it. At 36, leading the Purple Cap standings with 24 wickets in fourteen matches, he is having the best wicket-taking season of his career. The numbers do not explain it. The action does.

Mo Bobat explains it differently. “He’s brilliant with the new ball, can turn a game in the middle overs, and is excellent at the death,” RCB’s Director of Cricket says at the third edition of the RCB Innovation Lab’s Indian Sports Summit. “He’s got attacking skills and defensive skills.” Then he adds, almost as an aside: “I think alongside Bumrah, he’s probably the standout fast bowler in India.” It is the kind of thing people say and don’t mean. Bobat appears to mean it.