Bhuvneshwar Kumar out for six months; to return to competitive cricket only in IPL 2021

India right-arm pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s cricket career has been plagued with injuries over the last two years. The pacer had to undergo multiple surgeries and was thus forced to miss a considerable number of matches for India and his IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Bhuvneshwar again suffered a thigh muscle in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and had to leave the league mid-way in its early stage. The pacer is now undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and is likely to complete his training next month. However, he won’t be available till the IPL 2021 which is scheduled in April-May in 2021.

“He will be able to play only during the IPL as he is out of competitive cricket for six months,” an official in the know of things said as quoted by Times of India.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar seems to be unlucky in the last couple of years: Heath Matthews

Sports physiotherapist Heath Matthews, who is associated with the Mumbai Indians opined of the injuries sustained by Bhuvneshwar over the past few years saying that he seems to be suffering classic injuries. The physio believes that fast bowling puts a huge toll on the body and Bhuvi seems to be unlucky in that area.

“The problem with fast bowling is that it puts a huge toll on the body. He seems to be unlucky in the last couple of years and seems to be getting a lot of classic injuries — back strain, side strain, hamstring strain — that all focus in and around the lower back area, which is very often the problem area for bowlers,” Matthews said.

Bhuvi has been trying to change his bowling style to generate extra pace and swing. When asked if this could be a reason behind Bhuvi regularly suffering from the injuries, Matthews answered, “Sometimes a bowler who is trying to get extra pace and extra swing, it takes a couple of seasons to get that right. At times, the body also takes time to adjust to take the new stress, trying to do new things.”

“Unfortunately, it can be overloaded in certain areas. At the elite level you are so close to the maximum that to make changes becomes very difficult for your body and takes a long time to adjust.”