That’s the curtain on the league phase of IPL 2026, with Rajasthan Royals (RR) sealing their playoff berth by beating Mumbai Indians (MI), while Delhi Capitals (DC) closed out a tough campaign with a win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). With the group stage over, attention now turns to how the Orange and Purple Cap charts look.
Purple Cap leaderboard: RR’s Archer surge
RR needed a win versus MI to reach the playoffs, and they got it in large part through Jofra Archer. While his batting also played a role, it was his bowling that proved decisive in the chase of a knockout spot—he finished with figures of 3 for 17. During the powerplay, Rohit Sharma and Naman Dhir were both sent back, and Hardik Pandya later fell in the same contest.
That performance propelled Archer up the wicket-takers’ list straight to third place. He moved past Anshul Kamboj of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rashid Khan of Gujarat Titans (GT), and Eshan Malinga of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Archer sits only behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and GT’s Kagiso Rabada—both of whom are on 24 wickets. Archer has 21 to his name.
Bhuvneshwar, Rabada, Archer, and Rashid now have the chance to battle it out for the Purple Cap heading into the playoffs.
Orange Cap leaderboard: Sooryavanshi steadies, Rahul finishes strong
The final day of the league stage featured two matches where there weren’t many headline batting performances from the teams involved. Still, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played a key role in the afternoon-evening fixture, while KL Rahul turned up for the evening-night clash. One of them ended the season on a high with a strong finish, while the other slipped slightly—but still has a path to add to his totals.
Sooryavanshi vs MI: early trouble, slight rise
In the match involving Sooryavanshi against MI, Deepak Chahar made an early breakthrough. The runs that followed were not enough to swing the momentum, and the four runs Sooryavanshi managed meant his season total edged up only marginally to 583. At that stage, he was positioned at No. 4 on the run-scoring chart, trailing the GT batting duo of B Sai Sudharsan (638) and Shubman Gill (616). He was also behind SRH’s Heinrich Klaasen, who finished on 606.
Rahul vs KKR: 60 off 30 takes him into the top four
Rahul, meanwhile, made sure he wasn’t going to leave the tournament without a statement. Against KKR, he struck an innings of 60 in just 30 balls, lifting his season tally to 593. That total pushed him past a number of batters, including Sooryavanshi, and secured him fourth place at the end of his league-stage run—though the ranking is likely to shift as the season progresses. Either way, it was a big finish for Rahul.
Key end-of-season cap standings
- Purple Cap: Jofra Archer climbs to No. 3 with 21 wickets after 3/17 versus MI.
- Purple Cap: Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kagiso Rabada are tied on 24 wickets; Rashid Khan and Archer also remain in the running.
- Orange Cap: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ends on 583 after scoring four runs versus MI; he finishes No. 4 at the time he is overtaken.
- Orange Cap: KL Rahul closes with 593 after a 60-ball 30?—specifically a 60 off 30 against KKR—earning him fourth spot at season end.
- Orange Cap: The GT duo of B Sai Sudharsan (638) and Shubman Gill (616) lead ahead of SRH’s Heinrich Klaasen (606) in the run charts at the reference point.
Additional IPL 2026 end-of-league categories
- IPL 2026 MVP
- Best batting strike rates
- Best economy rates
- Most 50+ scores
