With IPL 2026’s league phase now complete, Rajasthan Royals have secured their playoff berth after beating Mumbai Indians, while Delhi Capitals’ campaign ended on a brighter note thanks to a win over Kolkata Knight Riders. The league finale also shaped the Orange and Purple Cap standings, setting up a final scramble and a clear leaderboard heading into the knockout stage.
Purple Cap: Archer rockets into the top mix
RR’s path to the playoffs depended on their victory over MI, and Jofra Archer delivered in a big all-round way. While his batting impact helped, the decisive factor for his cap charge was his bowling spell of 3 for 17. During the powerplay, Rohit Sharma and Naman Dhir were both dismissed, and Hardik Pandya was removed later in the contest.
That performance moved Archer straight up to third place in the Purple Cap race. He has leapfrogged Anshul Kamboj (CSK), Rashid Khan (GT) and Eshan Malinga (SRH). Archer is now only behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB) and GT’s Kagiso Rabada, who are level with 24 wickets each. Archer sits one notch below that with 21 wickets.
With Bhuvneshwar, Rabada, Archer and Rashid all within striking distance, the top of the Purple Cap leaderboard is set for a tense fight in the playoffs’ lead-up to the final prize.
Orange Cap: Sooryavanshi ends at 583, Rahul finishes with a statement
Sunday’s matches featured three squads that have not leaned heavily on individual batting standouts this season, but Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his mark in the afternoon-evening game and KL Rahul played a key role in the evening-night contest. One of them closed out his campaign with a strong finish, while the other fell short—though Rahul still has momentum to chase the top total.
Sooryavanshi vs MI
Sooryavanshi first took the field against MI, but Deepak Chahar struck early and kept him under pressure. The four runs he managed only nudged his season tally to 583. At that stage, he was fourth on the run-scorers list, positioned behind GT’s B Sai Sudharsan (638) and Shubman Gill (616), as well as SRH’s Heinrich Klaasen, who finished the league phase with 606.
Rahul vs KKR
Rahul, though, did not let his season end quietly. He produced a match-defining knock of 60 off 30 balls against KKR, raising his total to 593 for the tournament. That total carried him past a number of batters ahead of him—including Sooryavanshi—and secured Rahul the fourth spot to close out the league stage. While the order will likely shift as the playoffs begin, it remains a major late-season push from Rahul.
- IPL 2026 MVP: (listed in source)
- Best batting strike rates: (listed in source)
- Best economy rates: (listed in source)
- Most 50+ scores: (listed in source)
