The 19th season of the Indian Premier League is producing some scintillating bowling performances, intensifying the race for the prestigious Purple Cap. Awarded to the tournament's highest wicket-taker, the leaderboard is currently being dictated by pace bowlers who have found incredible rhythm, swing, and variations early in the campaign.
Following the recent clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals, the standings have seen significant movement. Chennai Super Kings' breakout sensation Anshul Kamboj remains perched at the top of the pile. Meanwhile, SRH's Eshan Malinga has vaulted up the ranks after a sensational four-wicket haul against DC, intensifying the battle at the summit.
Here is the comprehensive breakdown of the IPL 2026
Purple Cap standings, team-wise top performers, and a historical timeline of past winners.
Top 10 Wicket-Takers in IPL 2026 (Purple Cap Leaderboard)
The top 10 list is currently dominated by Indian speedsters and international franchise veterans, showcasing exceptional bowling talent.
| Rank | Player | Team | Matches | Wickets | Best Bowling (BBI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anshul Kamboj | CSK | 6 | 13 | 3/22 |
| 2 | Eshan Malinga | SRH | 7 | 12 | 4/32 |
| 3 | Prasidh Krishna | PBKS | 6 | 12 | 4/28 |
| 4 | Prince Yadav | LSG | 6 | 11 | 3/32 |
| 5 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | RCB | 6 | 10 | 3/26 |
| 6 | Ravi Bishnoi | RR | 6 | 10 | 4/41 |
| 7 | Kagiso Rabada | GT | 6 | 10 | 3/29 |
| 8 | Harsh Dubey | SRH | 6 | 8 | 3/12 |
| 9 | Jofra Archer | RR | 6 | 8 | 2/19 |
| 10 | Krunal Pandya | RCB | 6 | 8 | 2/30 |
Team-wise Top 3 Wicket-Takers in IPL 2026
Every franchise relies heavily on their core bowling group to navigate the gruelling league stage. Here is a look at the top three leading wicket-takers for all 10 IPL franchises:
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
- Anshul Kamboj (13 Wickets)
- Jamie Overton (8 Wickets)
- Noor Ahmad (4 Wickets)
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
- Eshan Malinga (12 Wickets)
- Harsh Dubey (8 Wickets)
- Sakib Hussain (6 Wickets)
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
- Arshdeep Singh (6 Wickets)
- Vyshak Vijaykumar (6 Wickets)
- Marco Jansen (5 Wickets)
Gujarat Titans (GT)
- Prasidh Krishna (12 Wickets)
- Kagiso Rabada (10 Wickets)
- Rashid Khan (6 Wickets)
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
- Prince Yadav (11 Wickets)
- Mohammad Shami (5 Wickets)
- Avesh Khan (5 Wickets)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar (10 Wickets)
- Krunal Pandya (8 Wickets)
- Jacob Duffy (6 Wickets)
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
- Ravi Bishnoi (10 Wickets)
- Jofra Archer (8 Wickets)
- Nandre Burger (6 Wickets)
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
- Kartik Tyagi (8 Wickets)
- Vaibhav Arora (7 Wickets)
- Sunil Narine (6 Wickets)
Delhi Capitals (DC)
- Lungi Ngidi (7 Wickets)
- Axar Patel (6 Wickets)
- Kuldeep Yadav (5 Wickets)
Mumbai Indians (MI)
- AM Ghazanfar (6 Wickets)
- Shardul Thakur (6 Wickets)
- Ashwani Kumar (4 Wickets)
IPL 2026 Highest Wicket-Takers Timeline (Purple Cap)
- March 28: Prasidh Krishna of GT was the highest wicket-taker with 3 wickets.
- March 29: Punjab Kings' Arshdeep Singh claimed top spot with 5 wickets.
- March 30: Arshdeep Singh remains on top with 5 wickets.
- March 31: Arshdeep Singh with 5 wickets.
- April 1: Arshdeep Singh with 5 wickets.
- April 2: Prince Yadav with 6 wickets.
- April 4: Ravi Bishnoi took the lead with 7 wickets.
- April 7: Bhuvneshwar Kumar took the lead with 8 wickets.
- April 10: Eshan Malinga took the lead with 10 wickets.
- April 13: Anshul Kamboj claims top spot with 11 wickets.
- April 15: Eshan Malinga overtakes Kamboj with 12 wickets.
- April 17: Eshan Malinga takes the crown with 12 wickets (superior economy/average).
- April 18: Eshan Malinga reclaims top spot.
- April 21: Anshul Kamboj goes past Malinga with 13 wickets, while Malinga is on 12.
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, with Bravo and Patel sharing the all-time record of 32 wickets in a single season.
- 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 (Current Leader): Anshul Kamboj (CSK) - 13 Wickets
