Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jofra Archer in frame. Image Credit: ANI
IPL 2026 Purple Cap: Kuldeep Yadav and Lungi Ngidi were the picks of the bowlers in the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals. The two DC bowlers picked up three wickets each in the second innings to help the visitors register a 40-run win at Eden Gardens. Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Jofra Archer took three wickets against the Mumbai Indians to climb to third place on the IPL 2026 purple cap rankings. With the Rajasthan Royals qualifying for the playoffs, Archer would have at least one more opportunity to add to his tally of 21 wickets.
Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kagiso Rabada continue to be the joint highest wicket takers in the IPL 2026. The two international pacers have picked up 24 wickets each. However, Bhuvneshwar, with an economy of 8.07 runs per over, has the better economy and currently leads the standings.
At Eden Gardens, the Delhi Capitals defeated KKR by 40 runs. KL Rahul struck 60 runs in 30 balls as the visitors amassed 203 runs in the first innings. Axar Patel contributed 39 runs off 23 balls. With the exception of Ajinkya Rahane, none of the KKR batsmen were able to overcome the difficulties presented by the DC bowlers in the second innings. The Capitals finished the season with a victory, with three wickets apiece from Kuldeep Yadav and Lungi Ngidi.
| Position | Player | Team | Matches | Wickets | Economy | Average | Best Bowling Figures |
| 1 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 14 | 24 | 8.07 | 18.5 | 4/23 |
| 2 | Kagiso Rabada | Gujarat Titans | 14 | 24 | 9.18 | 20.54 | 3/25 |
| 3 | Jofra Archer | Rajasthan Royals | 14 | 21 | 8.76 | 21.71 | 3/17 |
| 4 | Anshul Kamboj | Chennai Super Kings | 14 | 21 | 10.52 | 25.23 | 3/22 |
| 5 | Rashid Khan | Gujarat Titans | 14 | 19 | 8.71 | 21.94 | 4/33 |
| 6 | Eshan Malinga | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 14 | 19 | 9.27 | 24.57 | 4/32 |
| 7 | Kartik Tyagi | Kolkata Knight Riders | 14 | 18 | 9.76 | 27.66 | 3/22 |
| 8 | Mohammed Siraj | Gujarat Titans | 14 | 17 | 8.58 | 25.76 | 3/26 |
| 9 | Prince Yadav | Lucknow Super Giants | 14 | 16 | 8.82 | 28.68 | 3/32 |
| 10 | Sunil Narine | Kolkata Knight Riders | 13 | 15 | 6.64 | 22.6 | 2/26 |
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the star performer for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026. The right-arm pacer has picked up 24 wickets in 14 games while going at an economy of only 8.07 runs per over. His performance has been one of the biggest reasons behind RCB topping the IPL 2026 points table.
Kuldeep Yadav and Lungi Ngidi took the most wickets in the KKR vs DC clash. The two DC bowlers picked up three wickets each. Kuldeep dismissed Cameron Green, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rinku Singh. He almost got a hat-trick, but wicketkeeper Abhishek Porel dropped the catch. Meanwhile, Ngidi dismissed Finn Allen, Manish Pandey, and Varun Chakravarthy.
Jofra Archer took the most wickets in the MI vs RR clash. The English fast bowler picked up three wickets to jump up a few spots in the IPL 2026 purple cap rankings. He dismissed Rohit Sharma for a duck before getting the better of Naman Dhir and Hardik Pandya.
The only bowlers to have won the Purple Cap twice are Dwayne Bravo, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Harshal Patel. Bhuvi took home the prize in 2016 and 2017, while Bravo did it in 2013 and 2015. In comparison, Harshal Patel did it in 2021 and 2024. Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar is leading the race in IPL 2026 and could very well become the first player to win the purple cap award three times.
Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
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