Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the Heartbeat of the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2015

In the brawny world of massive bats, shrinking boundaries and unbelievable 360-degrees strokeplay, the Sunrisers Hyderabad's top-four dreams in the Indian Premier League 2015 have hinged on a stand-out performer with the ball - Bhuvneshwar Kumar. (IPL 2015 complete coverage | Stats | Points Table)

On a day when the 'Herculean' Andre Russell pumelled his way to a 19-ball fifty and set up Kolkata Knight Riders' one-wicket win vs Kings XI Punjab, a diminutive Kedar Jadhav threatened to pour ice-cold water over Hyderabad's burning desire to make playoffs. (Hyderabad keep playoff hopes alive)

Hyderabad were enroute to a crucial win at Raipur, courtesy Moises Henriques' 74-run knock and their clinical bowling unit until Kedar Jadhav arrived on the scene. The 30-year-old Maharashtra batsman made mincemeat of an otherwise respected bowling attack, cutting and pulling his way through. In a tricky chase, despite the early loss of Yuvraj Singh, Delhi were slowly clawing their way back.

Jadhav regularly caught Ravi Bopara's bluff when the England part-timer dished out back-of-the-hand deliveries, he pulled with perfection against the dibbly-dobbly pace of Henriques and punished Praveen Kumar in a 22-run 16th over that promised to turn the tide on the Sunrisers as the likes of Dale Steyn and Trent Boult watched anxiously from the sidelines.

Enter Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

With 17 scalps in the season so far, Sunrisers' slight-framed strike bowler is the joint-leading wicket-taker with Ashish Nehra and Dwayne Bravo. The decision to keep Steyn and Boult on the bench to beef up a weak middle-order has only piled the pressure on the 25-year-old from Meerut to lead the bowling attack. To do so with such impact in the world of obscene batting and microscopic margin of error deserves plaudits.

In the rat race for a top-four finish, Sunrisers are hanging on by the skin of their teeth. Five out of six wins for the Sunrisers have come while chasing and on each of those occasions, Bhuvneshwar has stood tall between the opposition and victory. In the rain-affected clash against Kolkata Knight Riders, Bhuvneshwar presented a heady concoction of low full-tosses and inch-perfect yorkers to keep the likes of Yusuf Pathan and Manish Pandey at bay. The two-time champions needed 37 runs off 18 deliveries but Bhuvneshwar had just five singles to offer. When he returned to bowl the final over with 25 needed, Bhuvneshwar gave just seven runs away and bagged a wicket in a 16-run win.

Up against the Kings XI Punjab when Trent Boult was running ragged, Sunrisers still needed a bowler to see off the final overs from the other end. Warner once again, turned to Bhuvneshwar. Punjab were seven down but with Mitchell Johnson at the crease, the target of 28 off 12 balls wasn't entirely out of reach. Bhuvneshwar bowled three priceless dot deliveries to leave the opponents needing 25 off the final over. Hyderabad eventually won by 20 runs.

Another two-time champion - Chennai Super Kings - were all set to seal a late, blockbuster win as Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja were wielding their willows with 38 to get off 12 balls. Bhuvneshwar made an antagonistic entry, keeping the two stars down to just seven runs in the penultimate over in an eventual 22-run win.

Against Rajasthan, Sunrisers were facing the wrath of a rampaging Chris Morris. After bowling a fabulous 20th over conceding just six runs, he was throwing his bat around in a stunning run chase. Morris clobbered Praveen Kumar for 22 runs in the penultimate over, putting the onus on the shoulders of Bhuvneshwar. With 18 needed, Bhuvneshwar once again denied an opponent right at the end, as Sunrisers won by 7 runs.

On Saturday, the task seemed tougher. Jadhav was bludgeoning the Hyderabad attack with unbelievable ease as the momentum made a seamless shift from the visitors to the hosts' camp. With six wickets in hand and a nonchalant Jadhav in the middle, 22 runs off 12 deliveries looked destined to go Delhi's way.

Bhuvneshwar, however, had other ideas. He continued from where he left off in the previous fixture, putting on display a potent mixture of an intelligent plan and the pin-point accuracy of executing the same. Six singles came off the over and the pressure was right back on Delhi. Sunrisers eventually marched home by six runs and made their way into the top four. If they are to hold onto that spot for long, Bhuvneshwar will need to continue soaking in all the pressure.

In a season when Sunrisers have heavily depended on their foreign recruits for big scores, Bhuvneshwar has emerged as the heartbeat of the side. Hyderabad have excelled in multiple edge-of-the-seat, nerve-wracking encounters, and each time Bhuvneshwar has proven to be the unbreakable knot that binds their bundle of nerves.