IPL 2021: "We can clearly see that he's not at the peak of his fitness" - Sanjay Manjrekar on SRH's pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is not in his prime fitness at the moment in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.

Kumar, who won the Purple Cap for two consecutive IPL seasons (2016 & 2017), has looked a shadow of himself this year. After missing a couple of matches in Phase 1 due to some niggles, the 31-year old has managed to pick up only two wickets in four encounters for SRH since the resumption of IPL 2021 in the UAE.

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Once known for his wicket-taking ability with the new ball, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has only picked up three wickets in nine innings in the powerplay this season.

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While speaking with ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar mentioned that Bhuvneshwar's fitness, along with slow tracks in the UAE, may be the reason for his underwhelming season this year in the IPL for SRH. The 56-year old opined:

"When Bhuvi made his comeback during the home series against England, he was giving assurances that he's back in his prime form again. But, then in Sri Lanka, it seemed like he's not a hundred percent fit. Again, in the ongoing IPL, we can clearly see that he's not at the peak of his fitness. This is the only for his underwhelming form currently because you can't criticize him for his bowling. He's speed has dipped a bit now. Trent Boult is in a similar situation, where his pace has also taken a hit."

Frequent niggles and injuries were the reasons Kumar has been in and out of the national setup for the past few years.

He will look to revamp his performances during the remainder of IPL 2021 and will try to justify his selection in the squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, which is to be held in UAE and Oman.

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Bhuvneshwar Kumar makes 100th appearance for SRH in KKR loss

Bhuvneshwar Kumar made his 100th appearance for SRH in the IPL against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday (October 3). KKR won the game by six wickets with Kumar bowling an economical spell of four overs for just 20 runs. He could not pick up any wickets, however.

Congratulations to @BhuviOfficial on playing his 100th game for the #Risers tonight. 🧡

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It was a must-win game for KKR and they took two points from the encounter to keep their hopes of qualifying for the IPL playoffs alive. SRH, who were already out of contention to make it into the top four, fell to their 10th loss of the season.