IPL: 5 players Royal Challengers Bangalore wish had stayed

#1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Royal Challengers would be willing to pay a bombshell to reacquire the services of Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was all of 18 when he was first signed by the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Coming in as a replacement for the injured Jesse Ryder, the Meerut-born pacer spent most of his warming the benches. He made his debut for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the now-defunct Champions League Twenty20 tournament in 2009-10 conceding 31 runs in 4 overs.

Now 27, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has picked up 111 wickets in just 90 games at an economy of just 7.08 runs per over. The right-arm medium-fast bowler who swings the ball both ways made his IPL debut in 2011 for the Pune Warriors where he bowled economically finishing as the third highest wicket-taker for the team. The handy lower-order batsman also conceded just 23 runs in his quota of 4 overs in the record 263 runs Bangalore side made against them.

In 2014, he was snapped up by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs. 4.25 crores. In the 4 seasons that he has played for the Sunrisers, he has picked up 87 wickets winning the Purple Cap twice and leading them to the title once.

Royal Challengers have paid the price for having a weak bowling unit. In Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who picks up wickets when opening the bowling and is economical in the death overs, Royal Challengers Bangalore missed out on a gem of a bowler.