The 19th season of the Indian Premier League has delivered breathtaking cricket, keeping the race for the prestigious Purple Cap incredibly tight right up to the very final match. Awarded to the tournament's highest wicket-taker, the leaderboard was fiercely contested by world-class pace bowlers who found incredible rhythm throughout the campaign.
With the playoffs culminating, the bowling charts have seen their dramatic final shifts. Gujarat Titans' (GT) Kagiso Rabada surged to the absolute summit to finish with 28 wickets, reclaiming the ultimate prize. Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) iconic pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar trailed him closely in second place with 26 wickets, while Rajasthan Royals' Jofra Archer completed a stellar campaign with 25
wickets to take the third spot.
Here is the comprehensive breakdown of the final IPL 2026 Purple Cap standings, team-wise top performers, and a historical timeline of past winners updated as of May 31, 2026.
IPL 2026 Purple Cap: Most Wickets in the Season
The top 10 list showcases an elite mix of Indian speedsters, international franchise veterans, and mystery spinners, highlighting exceptional bowling talent despite punishing batting conditions.
| Rank | Player | Team | Matches | Wickets | Best Bowling (BBI) | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kagiso Rabada | GT | 16 | 28 | 3/25 | 9.43 |
| 2 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | RCB | 15 | 26 | 4/23 | 8.00 |
| 3 | Jofra Archer | RR | 16 | 25 | 3/17 | 9.31 |
| 4 | Anshul Kamboj | CSK | 14 | 21 | 3/22 | 10.52 |
| 5 | Eshan Malinga | SRH | 15 | 20 | 4/32 | 9.33 |
| 6 | Rashid Khan | GT | 16 | 19 | 4/33 | 9.29 |
| 7 | Mohammed Siraj | GT | 16 | 18 | 3/26 | 9.06 |
| 8 | Kartik Tyagi | KKR | 14 | 18 | 3/22 | 9.76 |
| 9 | Jason Holder | GT | 17 | 10 | 4/24 | 7.54 |
| 10 | Prince Yadav | KKR | 14 | 16 | 3/32 | 8.82 |
Team-wise Top 3 Wicket-Takers in IPL 2026
Every franchise relies heavily on their core bowling group to navigate the grueling league stage and post-season knockouts. Here is the final look at the leading wicket-takers for all 10 IPL franchises:
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
- Anshul Kamboj - 21
- Jamie Overton - 14
- Noor Ahmad - 13
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
- Eshan Malinga - 20
- Sakib Hussain - 15
- Praful Hinge - 14
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
- Jofra Archer - 25
- Brijesh Sharma - 14
- Nandre Burger - 14
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
- Prince Yadav - 16
- Mohammed Shami - 12
- Mohsin Khan - 11
Gujarat Titans (GT)
- Kagiso Rabada - 28
- Rashid Khan - 19
- Mohammed Siraj - 18
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar - 26
- Rasikh Salam Dar - 16
- Krunal Pandya - 13
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
- Kartik Tyagi - 18
- Sunil Narine - 15
- Varun Chakaravarthy - 11
Delhi Capitals (DC)
- Lungi Ngidi - 13
- Axar Patel - 11
- Mitchell Starc - 11
Mumbai Indians (MI)
- AM Ghazanfar - 15
- Corbin Bosch - 12
- Shardul Thakur - 12
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
- Arshdeep Singh - 14
- Yuzvendra Chahal - 12
- Marco Jansen - 9
IPL 2026 Highest Wicket-Takers Timeline (Current Season)
- March 28: Prasidh Krishna (GT) was the highest wicket-taker with 3 wickets.
- April 4: Ravi Bishnoi (RR) took the lead with 7 wickets.
- April 10: Eshan Malinga (SRH) took the lead with 10 wickets.
- April 21: Prince Yadav (LSG) takes the lead with 13 wickets.
- April 23: Anshul Kamboj (CSK) reclaims the top spot with 14 wickets following CSK's massive win over MI.
- April 24: Anshul Kamboj maintains his lead at 14 wickets; Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB) advances to 11 wickets following the high-scoring RCB vs GT match.
- April 25: Eshan Malinga (SRH) takes 2 wickets to tie at 14 wickets but Kamboj retains the Purple Cap on a better economy rate.
- May 12: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB) surges to the top spot with 21 wickets, tied with GT's Kagiso Rabada.
- May 17: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB) solidifies his hold on the Purple Cap by taking his tally to 24 wickets after a brilliant performance against PBKS, guiding RCB to the playoffs.
- May 26: As the league stage concludes and the playoffs begin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB) and Kagiso Rabada (GT) finish tied at the top with 24 wickets each.
- May 29: GT pacer Kagiso Rabada jumps to the top of the Purple Cap leaderboard with a crucial performance in Qualifier 2, reaching 28 wickets.
- May 31: Kagiso Rabada trying to lock down the final standings with 28 wickets and be at the pole position in the prestigious Purple Cap race for the 2026 season.
Timeline of IPL Purple Cap Holders (2008 - Present)
The Purple Cap has been adorned by some of the greatest bowlers in T20 history. Dwayne Bravo, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Harshal Patel stand out as the only bowlers to win the accolade multiple times.
- 2008: Sohail Tanvir (RR) - 22 Wickets
- 2009: RP Singh (DC) - 23 Wickets
- 2010: Pragyan Ojha (DC) - 21 Wickets
- 2011: Lasith Malinga (MI) - 28 Wickets
- 2012: Morne Morkel (DD) - 25 Wickets
- 2013: Dwayne Bravo (CSK) - 32 Wickets
- 2014: Mohit Sharma (CSK) - 23 Wickets
- 2015: Dwayne Bravo (CSK) - 26 Wickets
- 2016: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (SRH) - 23 Wickets
- 2017: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (SRH) - 26 Wickets
- 2018: Andrew Tye (PBKS) - 24 Wickets
- 2019: Imran Tahir (CSK) - 26 Wickets
- 2020: Kagiso Rabada (DC) - 30 Wickets
- 2021: Harshal Patel (RCB) - 32 Wickets
- 2022: Yuzvendra Chahal (RR) - 27 Wickets
- 2023: Mohammed Shami (GT) - 28 Wickets
- 2024: Harshal Patel (PBKS) - 24 Wickets
- 2025: Prasidh Krishna (GT) - 25 Wickets
- 2026: Kagiso Rabada (GT) - 28 Wickets*
