IPL 2026: The race for the much-coveted Purple Cap in IPL 2026 got a huge shake-up on Friday, May 29, after the conclusion of the high-stakes Qualifier 2 clash between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Mullanpur. In a high-octane encounter at New Chandigarh where more than 430 runs were scored, South African speed merchant Kagiso Rabada delivered a crucial performance to officially dethrone Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Bengaluru’s veteran swing maestro, from the top of the wicket-taking charts.
Rabada Seizes the Crown in Mullanpur
Gujarat Titans’ pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada was level with Bhuvneshwar Kumar on 26 wickets going into the knockout fixture. Rabada showed his elite death-bowling credentials under immense pressure as Rajasthan amassed a huge total. The speedster claimed two vital breakthroughs in his four overs for only 35 runs including the prized scalp of young prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on 96.
With this, Rabada’s season tally went up to 28 wickets in 16 matches. The Proteas star, striking every 13.21 balls, has emerged as the tournament’s most lethal weapon, edging out Bhuvneshwar to have a clear two-wicket cushion going into the grand finale.
Jofra Archer Secures the Third Spot
Archer bowled GT captain Shubman Gill after a sharp pursuit to limit the damage. Archer finished his night by taking his tournament tally to 25 wickets from 16 matches, firmly establishing himself at number three in the leaderboard.
Meanwhile, uncapped domestic sensations such as Chennai Super Kings’ breakout seamer Anshul Kamboj (21 wickets) and Sunrisers Hyderabad’s yorker specialist Eshan Malinga (20 wickets) held on to their top-five spots as their franchises were knocked out earlier in the playoffs.
IPL 2026 Purple Cap Leaderboard After RR vs GT Match On May 29
| Pos | Player | Team | Wickets | Matches | Best Bowling (BBI) | Economy | Average |
| 1 | Kagiso Rabada | GT | 28 | 16 | 5/32 | 9.43 | 20.78 |
| 2 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | RCB | 26 | 15 | 3/41 | 8.00 | 18.15 |
| 3 | Jofra Archer | RR | 25 | 16 | 3/17 | 9.31 | 22.36 |
| 4 | Anshul Kamboj | CSK | 21 | 14 | 3/22 | 10.52 | 25.23 |
| 5 | Eshan Malinga | SRH | 20 | 15 | 4/32 | 9.33 | 25.35 |
| 6 | Rashid Khan | GT | 19 | 16 | 3/43 | 9.29 | 25.84 |
| 7 | Mohammed Siraj | GT | 18 | 16 | 3/26 | 9.06 | 29.22 |
| 8 | Kartik Tyagi | KKR | 18 | 14 | 3/22 | 9.76 | 27.66 |
| 9 | Jason Holder | GT | 17 | 10 | 4/24 | 7.54 | 16.11 |
| 10 | Prince Yadav | LSG | 16 | 14 | 3/32 | 8.82 | 28.68 |
Debayan Bhattacharyya is a seasoned sports journalist and digital media professional, currently serving as the Chief Sub Editor at ITV Digital (NewsX). A true Football-Fanatic Bong, his professional journey began at Zee Media, where he kicked off his career as a Sub-Editor for the sports team at India.com and CricketCountry. His ability to blend insightful analysis with rapid-fire news delivery soon led him to Times Network, where he served as a Senior Copy Editor for Times Now. Before his current role at NewsX, Debayan spent a significant tenure at OneIndia’s MyKhel as a Senior Sub Editor.
