Kagiso Rabada. IPL 2026 ended with the Purple Cap, who finished as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker, despite Gujarat Titans failing in the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The South African fast bowler enjoyed another impressive campaign, picking up 29 wickets in 17 matches at an economy rate of 9.68. While GT’s title hopes ended with a five-wicket defeat in Ahmedabad, Rabada’s consistency with the ball throughout the season ensured that he topped the wicket-taking charts. This achievement is the second Purple Cap of Rabada’s IPL career. He previously won the award while representing Delhi Capitals in 2020, when he took 30 wickets. Rabada’s closest challenger was the RCB veteran. Bhuvneshwar Kumarwhich pushed him all the way to the finals. Bhuvneshwar took 28 wickets in 16 matches and was instrumental in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s successful title defence. While he fell well short of the Purple Cap, Bhuvneshwar boasted the best economy rate among the top five wicket-takers at just 7.95 runs per over. His best figures of 4 for 23 highlighted a season in which he repeatedly delivered crucial breakthroughs with the new ball and at the death. Fast bowler of Rajasthan Royals Jofra Archer Finished the top three after another impressive campaign. Archer took 25 wickets in 16 matches at an economy of 9.31, with excellent figures of 3 for 17. His pace and animosity remained one of RR’s greatest strengths throughout the tournament. The fourth place went to the spinner of Gujarat Titans. Rashid KhanWho took 21 wickets in 17 matches at an economy rate of 9.08. Notably, Rashid was the only spinner among the top 10 wicket-takers this season, underscoring his importance in a tournament largely dominated by fast bowlers. Rounding out the top five was Chennai Super Kings fast bowler Anshul Kamboj. The young fast bowler emerged as one of the breakout performers of IPL 2026, picking up 21 wickets in just 14 matches. Although his economy rate of 10.52 was the highest among the top five, his ability to strike regularly helped him finish level on wickets with Rashid.
IPL 2026 Purple Cap Standings
| Rank | the player | The team | Matches | Wickets | The economy | Excellent data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kagiso Rabada. | Gujarat Titans | 17 | 29 | 9.68 | 3/25 |
| 2 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 16 | 28 | 7.95 | 4/23 |
| 3 | Jofra Archer | Rajasthan Royals | 16 | 25 | 9.31 | 3/17 |
| 4 | Rashid Khan | Gujarat Titans | 17 | 21 | 9.08 | 4/33 |
| 5 | Anshul Kamboj | Chennai Super Kings | 14 | 21 | 10.52 | 3/22 |
