Gujarat Titans’ dominant display against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday kept Kagiso Rabada firmly in control of the IPL Purple Cap standings, even as Rashid Khan’s decisive spell propelled him sharply up the wicket charts in Jaipur.
Purple Cap race: Rabada stays on top as Rashid surges
- Kagiso Rabada picked up two wickets in the match and remains leading the Purple Cap with 18 wickets from 11 games.
- Rashid Khan was the biggest mover after producing a game-changing haul of 4 for 33, helping Gujarat tighten the contest at crucial stages.
- With his latest figures, Rashid now has 15 wickets from 11 matches and has climbed to sixth place in the Purple Cap race, level with Rajasthan pacer Jofra Archer.
- Rajasthan were restricted to 152 in 16.3 overs while chasing a target of 230, ensuring Rabada’s wicket tally stayed intact at the top.
Rabada, the South African quick who has served as Gujarat’s main strike option throughout the season, delivered timely breakthroughs as the Royals’ chase unravelled. Rashid then compounded the damage by breaking through the middle order, using flight, variation, and tight control to keep Rajasthan under pressure after Gujarat’s early momentum at the top of the match.
In the rest of the wicket-taker standings, Bhuvneshwar Kumar of Royal Challengers Bengaluru occupies second place with 17 wickets from 10 matches. Chennai Super Kings pacer Anshul Kamboj is also on 17 wickets and sits third due to a less favourable economy rate. Lucknow Super Giants’ Prince Yadav follows closely with 16 wickets from 10 games, while Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Eshan Malinga is fifth with 16 wickets from 11 appearances, though his economy rate of 9.44 remains a notable concern. Archer continues to stay in the Purple Cap conversation with 15 wickets from 11 outings.
How Gujarat built the winning total
Earlier in the game, Gujarat Capitals first posted a commanding score after being put in to bat. Skipper Shubman Gill struck an impressive 84, while Sai Sudharsan contributed a fluent 55 to steer the innings to 229 for four.
Washington Sundar then finished strongly, remaining unbeaten on 37 from just 20 deliveries to take Gujarat’s total to a level that set a steep challenge for Rajasthan.
Rajasthan’s chase falls short
In response, Ravindra Jadeja top-scored for Rajasthan with 38, but the chase failed to gather pace. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi managed 36 in an otherwise disappointing run chase as the Royals were bowled out well short of the target, ending on 152 in 16.3 overs.
Updated IPL 2026 Purple Cap standings
- Kagiso Rabada (GT): 18 wickets in 11 matches
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB): 17 wickets in 10 matches
- Anshul Kamboj (CSK): 17 wickets in 10 matches
- Prince Yadav (LSG): 16 wickets in 10 matches
- Eshan Malinga (SRH): 16 wickets in 11 matches
- Rashid Khan (GT): 15 wickets in 11 matches
- Jofra Archer (RR): 15 wickets in 11 matches
With the league stage moving into its decisive phase, the competition for the leading wicket-taker is expected to intensify rapidly as more matches come down to late breakthroughs and disciplined death bowling.
