A double-header Sunday always brings swift movement across the IPL 2026 standings, and this time the reshuffle was felt most sharply on the wicket-taking charts rather than the run-getters’ list. Here’s how the Orange and Purple Cap race looks after the latest slate of matches.
Purple Cap leaderboard: wicket-takers climb the ladder
Bhuvneshwar Kumar remains a standout at the top of the Purple Cap race. The bowler, who previously won the award in consecutive seasons (2016 and 2017), has barely looked out of his depth despite being 36 and spending much of the year away from the spotlight. If anything, his impact has only grown stronger.
His haul of 4 for 23 versus Mumbai Indians (MI) underlined that return to form, coming in a match that ultimately turned into a dramatic win for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The effort marked his sixth three-wicket haul of the season—his first four-wicket performance as well—and pushed his total to 21 wickets.
Bhuvneshwar’s lead was put under pressure after Kagiso Rabada reached 18 wickets on Saturday. Earlier on Sunday, in the daytime fixture, Anshul Kamboj also made a move by taking two wickets for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), lifting him to 19 and temporarily placing him at the summit.
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar leads with 21 wickets.
- Anshul Kamboj sits second on 19 wickets.
- Kagiso Rabada follows with 18 wickets.
- Prince Yadav (LSG) and Eshan Malinga (SRH) are tied on 16 wickets each—Yadav was wicketless on Sunday.
- Rashid Khan (GT) and Jofra Archer (RR) are next on 15 wickets apiece.
Orange Cap leaderboard: Kohli stays put as leaders hold their ground
Virat Kohli’s run of form didn’t shift on Sunday. After a two-ball duck against LSG in his previous outing, he managed a first-ball dismissal against MI, leaving him anchored in tenth place. His tally remains 379 runs, which is exactly the same number he had on April 30.
The top of the scoring list remains stable. Heinrich Klaasen of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) is still No. 1 on 494 runs, while Abhishek Sharma continues to occupy the second spot with 475. KL Rahul of Delhi Capitals (DC) holds third place on 468 runs.
Shubman Gill, captaining Gujarat Titans (GT), moved within the top four after scoring 84 on Saturday against Rajasthan Royals (RR). He is now fourth with 462 runs. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi completes the top five for RR, sitting on 440 runs.
Top contenders in the chase
Between the leading group and Kohli, several batsmen remain within striking distance, including GT’s B Sai Sudharsan, CSK standout Sanju Samson, and SRH’s No. 3 Ishan Kishan. Samson scored 28 on Sunday against LSG. Meanwhile, MI opener Ryan Rickelton had the chance to climb but slipped against RCB, making only 2 runs.
- Virat Kohli: tenth place, 379 runs (first-ball duck vs MI).
- Heinrich Klaasen (SRH): first, 494 runs.
- Abhishek Sharma (SRH): second, 475 runs.
- KL Rahul (DC): third, 468 runs.
- Shubman Gill (GT): fourth, 462 runs (84 vs RR on Saturday).
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (RR): fifth, 440 runs.
- B Sai Sudharsan (GT), Sanju Samson (CSK, 28 vs LSG on Sunday), Ishan Kishan (SRH), and Ryan Rickelton (MI, 2 vs RCB).
Other end-of-day categories
- Tournament MVP
- Best batting strike-rates
- Most catches
- Most 50+ scores
