The race for the IPL 2026 Orange Cap has kept flipping from one day to the next, and it shifted again after the Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Delhi Capitals (DC) match on Friday night. The wicket column in the Purple Cap chase also saw a meaningful shake-up, with a fresh name moving up the rankings.
Orange Cap leaderboard: KL Rahul takes the lead
DC opener KL Rahul has been among the most consistent run-getters, though his recent scores have been mixed. This season, he has produced three innings in single digits and added an 18 as well. In his remaining five knocks, he has compiled 92, 57, 37, 152 not out, and, in the RR contest, a 75.
Those runs bring Rahul’s tournament total to 433, placing him at the top of the run-scorers’ chart.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s burst, then a drop
RR opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi looked set to take the lead early in the same match, starting with 400 runs to his name. However, he managed only 4 in the game, which pushed him down to fourth place.
- Sooryavanshi is currently No. 4 with 4 runs added from the Friday game.
- Abhishek Sharma (SRH) sits above him on 425 runs.
- Heinrich Klaasen (SRH) is also ahead on 414 runs.
- KL Rahul (DC) leads the Orange Cap list with 433 runs.
Yashasvi Jaiswal slips to the lower end of the table
Sooryavanshi’s opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal, also struggled in the Friday match and scored 6. He has dropped to No. 10, with 312 runs.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal: No. 10 with 312 runs.
Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Shubman Gill, B Sai Sudharsan and Ishan Kishan from Gujarat Titans (GT) form the rest of the top tier, while Prabhsimran Singh of Punjab Kings (PBKS) completes the top ten.
Purple Cap leaderboard: Bhuvneshwar still leads, Jofra rises
RCB’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar remains at the summit of the wicket-takers’ table. He has registered five three-wicket hauls this season, taking his tally to 17 wickets. But he now has a new No. 2: RR’s Jofra Archer, who has been picking up wickets consistently and also sits on 15.
Archer’s 15 wickets match the number of wickets taken by SRH’s Eshan Malinga, yet Archer edges ahead on efficiency with an economy rate of 8.62 compared to 9.16 for Malinga. Bhuvneshwar, meanwhile, continues to top the economy charts as well, with an economy rate of 7.54—better than anyone else in the top ten.
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB): 17 wickets; economy rate 7.54.
- Jofra Archer (RR): 15 wickets; economy rate 8.62.
- Eshan Malinga (SRH): 15 wickets; economy rate 9.16.
Stuck on 14 wickets: Kamboj and Rabada
Anshul Kamboj, the CSK quick, has been sitting at 14 wickets for some time, largely because his team hasn’t played since April 26. That could change on Saturday night when he faces Mumbai Indians (MI). Kagiso Rabada of GT is also on 14 wickets.
- Anshul Kamboj (CSK): 14 wickets; hasn’t had a match since April 26; faces MI on Saturday night.
- Kagiso Rabada (GT): 14 wickets.
Other season highlights
- Tournament MVP
- Best batting strike-rates
- Most catches
- Most 50+ scores
