Rajasthan Royals (RR) have taken control of the head-to-head momentum at the top of the IPL 2026 leaderboard, with the Orange and Purple Cap races both starting to look distinctly “pink and blue” after they extended their winning streak to four matches. On Friday night in Guwahati, RR cruised past Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) with comfort, setting up a chase that never truly looked risky.
Orange Cap race: Sooryavanshi grabs top spot
The latest update at the Orange Cap table shows a new leader in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. His recent returns of 52, 31, 39 and 78 have taken him to 200 runs across four innings, and the numbers have been eye-catching—his combined strike rate stands at 266.66.
Sooryavanshi’s most recent knock, delivered in the face of pace pressure from Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar among others, was built for the highlights. He struck eight fours and cleared the ropes seven times, and that innings helped RR make their chase of 202 look straightforward rather than complicated.
Even with Sooryavanshi’s surge, the spotlight also remains on RR’s opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal. While Jaiswal had a quiet night—he made 13 off eight balls—he hasn’t fallen far in the standings. He slips to second place, but only by a small margin: he is 17 runs behind on 183.
RR’s dominance at the top doesn’t stop there. Dhruv Jurel has moved into the conversation with a huge follow-up after his 75 against Mumbai Indians (MI), producing an unbeaten 81 from 43 deliveries. That contribution helps RR sweep the top three positions in the Orange Cap race.
Delhi Capitals (DC) batter Sameer Rizvi rounds out the next tier with 160 runs, while Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi has 155 runs to his name—completing the top five at this stage.
Purple Cap race: Bishnoi leads as RR’s bowling stays relentless
RR are also setting the tone in the Purple Cap battle. Ravi Bishnoi has added two wickets to his season tally to reach nine wickets in total, putting him three scalps clear of the next highest wicket-taker, Prasidh Krishna of Gujarat Titans (GT).
Bishnoi’s wicket haul so far reads as follows: 1 for 16, 4 for 41, 2 for 25 and 2 for 32. The current run of form has put him in charge of RR’s bowling unit, especially coming after a disappointing IPL 2025.
Chasing the leader: the contest behind Krishna
Behind Krishna, a group of nine bowlers sits with five wickets apiece, forming a tightly packed chase for the remaining spots in the race. The list includes Vijaykumar Vyshak (Punjab Kings, PBKS), Rashid Khan (Krishna’s teammate at GT), Lungi Ngidi (Delhi Capitals, DC), Prince Yadav (Lucknow Super Giants, LSG), Jacob Duffy (Royal Challengers Bengaluru, RCB), Vaibhav Arora (Kolkata Knight Riders, KKR), Anshul Kamboj (Chennai Super Kings, CSK), and two more RR bowlers—Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger.
Other season markers (categories listed)
- Highest batting strike rates
- Most sixes
- Best economy rates
- Best bowling strike rates
