Rajasthan Royals (RR) took on Gujarat Titans (GT) on Saturday night in IPL 2026, and the contest brought plenty of talking points—especially for fans tracking the Orange and Purple Cap races.
Purple Cap: Rabada climbs to the summit
Kagiso Rabada has arrived at the very top of the wicket-takers’ chart after adding two more scalps in the RR vs GT game. He now sits on 18 strikes, steadily building momentum and looking increasingly dangerous with each outing.
For Rabada, this feels like familiar territory. He previously won the Purple Cap in 2020 while representing Delhi Capitals (DC), taking 30 wickets in that campaign—one of only three occasions where a bowler has managed 30 or more wickets in a single IPL season.
RR’s Jofra Archer, who was in a position to climb the table, finished wicketless, which ensured Rabada stayed No. 1. The next spots are occupied by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Anshul Kamboj, tied on 17 wickets each for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), respectively.
Prince Yadav of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Eshan Malinga of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) follow with 16 wickets apiece, while a new name continues to pressure the leaders: Rashid Khan. He is currently placed at No. 6 after GT’s leg-spinner delivered a four-wicket haul against RR, taking his season total to 15 wickets. Archer also has 15 wickets, but Rashid’s economy rate stands out—8.26 compared to 9.12.
With a double-header on Sunday—CSK vs LSG and RCB vs Mumbai Indians (MI)—the order could easily shift again within the next 24 hours.
Orange Cap: No shake-up at the top, big movement below
The run-getters’ leaderboard saw no change in its top three: Heinrich Klaasen (SRH), Abhishek Sharma (SRH) and KL Rahul (DC) remain first, second and third, respectively. However, the picture tightened just underneath them.
GT captain Shubman Gill struck 84 off 44 balls, while his opening partner B Sai Sudharsan contributed 55 off 36. Their knock of 229 for 4 proved decisive, leaving RR with 77 runs more than they could realistically chase down. Gill’s innings moved him up to No. 4 with 462 runs for the season. Klaasen leads with 494, Abhishek is on 475, and Rahul has 468—close margins, but enough to keep the race hot.
Sai Sudharsan’s 55 also pushed him to No. 6, where he has amassed 440 runs so far.
RR’s chase sparks a contender in the top chase
Between Gill and Sai Sudharsan sits Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who provided RR with a lifeline during the chase. He made 36 off 16 balls, and that effort lifted his season tally to 440 runs—matching Sai Sudharsan’s total. The difference is strike rate: Sooryavanshi has scored at 236.55, while Sai Sudharsan’s strike rate is 157.70.
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