Lucknow Falcons skipper and renowned India international Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivered a vintage new-ball masterclass to lead his team to a comprehensive six-wicket victory over the defending champions, Kashi Rudras, in match 20 of the UP T20 League 2026, which saw a full 20-over contest at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.
The victory in the match that got off to a delayed start marks the Lucknow Falcons’ third consecutive win of the season and completes back-to-back victories over the Kashi Rudras in consecutive days. The Kashi innings struggled to find any momentum following the early collapse. Unfazed by the early wickets, Himanshu Singh took complete control of the chase. For his spectacular opening spell that broke the back of the Kashi Rudras’ batting lineup, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was adjudged the Player of the Match. “It has been very good for us and has helped us move up the table. “Overall, it was a good wicket, but there was a little bit of swing. The basic plan was to keep the ball in the right areas and try to challenge the batters with that swing,” he explained. “Luckily, it worked. Generally, you don’t get too much movement, maybe for two or three balls, and I got a wicket off a flick as well. It was a good day for me, but overall, it was a great bowling performance from the entire team. When asked about his pinpoint use of variations, the seasoned international credited his ability to read the game in real-time.
Shubham Chaubey offered the only significant resistance, playing a resilient knock of 46 from 32 deliveries to give his team a fighting chance. He anchored the innings with a fluent and aggressive 64 off 41 balls, finding the boundary rope nine times and clearing it twice. By the time he departed in the 14th over with the score at 109/3, he had already put the Falcons firmly in the driver’s seat. To bowl an opposition out for around 125 runs is a fantastic effort.
“We were down on the points table when we started, but we have played really well in the last three matches,” Bhuvneshwar noted.
