Not Virat Kohli or Devdutt Padikkal, legendary cricketer names discarded Indian star as RCB MVP of IPL 2026

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) speedster Dale Steyn has heaped his praise on Purple Cap holder Bhuvneshwar Kumar for his exploits with the ball in IPL 2026. The cricketer-turned-commentator commended the medium pacer for his all-round game, calling him the most valuable player (MVP) for the defending champions this season. While labeling him as an underrated player, Steyn told AB de Villiers on the latter’s YouTube channel:

“When you look at the end of the season, this is the interesting part. He might not win the purple cap, but he’s going well. If RCB go on to win this championship, this IPL, they’ll look back, and they’ll say MVP, this guy, because all around what he does is pretty amazing. And I think every player wants to have this game; they want to go out there, take wickets, and then go out there and bang a six to win the game for your team. That’s special.

He continued:

“He’s a proper cricket player, like he’s a really good cricket player, and I think he goes unseen a lot of the time because he’s got no frills about him. He’s got nothing special about him; he’s not big on social media, and he’s not pulling pieces of paper out of his pocket. He consistently lands the ball in the right area, doing just a little bit with the ball. He swings it this way, he swings it that way a little bit.

“He’s a master little skillman, but then you see him on the field, he doesn’t drop catches, he doesn’t fumble the ball, and then when he comes out with the bat, he’s a very smart man. Like he’s a good batter too, he’s not a big six hitter. He’s not your SKY kind of hit the ball all around the ground, he’s a lower-order all-rounder, and he read the game too, which tells you again that he’s a smart cricketer because he knew exactly where the ball was going to get bowled,” Steyn added.

With 24 wickets in 13 matches, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2026. Gujarat Titans (GT) pacer Kagiso Rabada is second on the list with 21 scalps in 13 games. On the batting front, the right-hander smashed a six when RCB needed nine runs off the last three balls against the Mumbai Indians (MI). His efforts helped team won the match by two wickets.

“I turn the TV off” – AB de Villiers slams trending chit celebration in IPL 2026

Former RCB superstar AB de Villiers further slammed the viral chit celebration by players like Raghu Sharma (Mumbai Indians), Akash Singh (Lucknow Super Giants), and Urvil Patel (Chennai Super Kings) in IPL 2026. The former Proteas captain urged the players to be themselves instead of trying to create a hype. He said in the same video:

“I’m not a big fan of these papers being pulled out. Anything that takes the focus off the game irritates me. I’ve never enjoyed a celebration, by the way. Anytime you’ve seen me celebrate over the years was absolutely pure passion and joy and for the team. There was never a planned little dance or a move or whatever.

“When a guy plans his celebration, I turn the TV off. I can’t watch anymore. I want to give a message to anyone listening and especially to professional cricketers or sportspeople around the world. Just keep it natural and genuine, and you’ll get a following through being yourself. Don’t try and create a hype. Just be yourself, and people will love you for that. I am not disrespecting their message, but I don’t like a pre-planned celebration.”

Dale Steyn came up with similar sentiments as AB de Villiers, suggesting that it makes a player look selfish. While showing a chit that read ‘CHIT IS SHIT!’, he said:

“CHIT IS SHIT! When you get onto that cricket field, that isn’t like your success isn’t just all on you. Like I bowled, I would get five wickets; if it wasn’t for the guys catching in the slips, I wouldn’t have gotten a wicket. So, it’s not all about me.”

Notably, SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Abhishek Sharma began the chit celebration after smashing his maiden IPL century in 2025.