Out of national reckoning for more than two years, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s experience was in demand among the IPL franchises with Royal Challengers Bengaluru buying him for Rs 10.75 crore as lesser-fancied Indian fast bowlers hit pay dirt on the second day of the mega auction here on Monday.

Bhuvneshwar, who will be 35 before the start of next IPL, has 300 wickets from 287 career T20 games and an economy rate of less than eight. But he last played for India during a tour of New Zealand in November 2022 and is considered well past his prime at the international level. However, with at least three Indian pacers needed per team, the pool is not large enough to ensure equal distribution among the 10 teams.