\n
![\"close\"](\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\"){kind=icon}
\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB<\/a>) speedster Dale Steyn<\/a> has heaped his praise on Purple Cap holder Bhuvneshwar Kumar<\/a> 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<\/a> on the latter\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you look at the end of the season, this is the interesting part. He might not win the purple cap, but he\u2019s going well. If RCB go on to win this championship, this IPL, they\u2019ll look back, and they\u2019ll 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\u2019s special.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n <\/template><\/p>\n He continued:<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a proper cricket player, like he\u2019s a really good cricket player, and I think he goes unseen a lot of the time because he\u2019s got no frills about him. He\u2019s got nothing special about him; he\u2019s not big on social media, and he\u2019s 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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n “He\u2019s a master little skillman, but then you see him on the field, he doesn\u2019t drop catches, he doesn\u2019t fumble the ball, and then when he comes out with the bat, he\u2019s a very smart man. Like he\u2019s a good batter too, he\u2019s not a big six hitter. He\u2019s not your SKY kind of hit the ball all around the ground, he\u2019s a lower-order all-rounder, and he read the game too, which tells you again that he\u2019s a smart cricketer because he knew exactly where the ball was going to get bowled,” Steyn added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n With 24 wickets in 13 matches, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2026. Gujarat Titans (GT) pacer Kagiso Rabada<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n