Kagiso Rabada’s steady two-for against Rajasthan on Saturday night was enough to nudge the South African quick to the top of the IPL 2026 wicket list. He now has 18, overtaking Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Anshul Kamboj, both stuck on 17.
“It’s about hitting the pitch hard and trusting the fields we set,” Rabada told the host broadcaster, sounding as relaxed as he did when he took the award in 2020. Former New Zealand seamer Mitchell McClenaghan, analysing for television, added: “His run-up is a touch straighter and he’s releasing earlier – that’s helped him find an extra yard of pace in the powerplay.”
Purple Cap picture
• Rabada – 18 wickets, economy 8.08
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB) – 17, economy 7.71
• Anshul Kamboj (CSK) – 17, economy 7.95
• Prince Yadav (LSG) – 16, economy 8.14
• Eshan Malinga (SRH) – 16, economy 8.22
• Rashid Khan (GT) – 15, economy 8.26
Jofra Archer went wicketless for Rajasthan and, for the moment, stays on 15. With Chennai meeting Lucknow and Bengaluru facing Mumbai later today, the standings could shuffle again before the weekend is out.
Gill’s surge in the Orange Cap race
Shubman Gill’s 84 from 44 balls, laced with six fours and five sixes, set up Gujarat’s 229 for 4 – far too many for the Royals. The knock lifts the Titans captain to fourth on the run chart with 462. Only Heinrich Klaasen (494), Abhishek Sharma (475) and KL Rahul (468) are ahead, and none by more than one decent innings.
“I found some rhythm in the first ten balls and tried to cash in,” Gill said at the presentation. His partner B Sai Sudharsan chimed in with 55 from 36, moving to joint-sixth on 440 runs, the same total as Rajasthan dasher Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The difference is tempo: Sooryavanshi’s 236.55 strike-rate dwarfs Sudharsan’s 157.70.
Orange Cap snapshot
• Klaasen (SRH) – 494 runs, strike-rate 191.52
• Abhishek Sharma (SRH) – 475, SR 186.27
• KL Rahul (DC) – 468, SR 144.37
• Gill (GT) – 462, SR 167.61
• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (RR) – 440, SR 236.55
• B Sai Sudharsan (GT) – 440, SR 157.70
Context and what comes next
The double-header on Sunday offers immediate chances for movement. Lucknow’s Prince Yadav, Chennai’s Kamboj and Bengaluru veteran Bhuvneshwar all bowl first-up; each has the new-ball skills to knock Rabada off top spot. Likewise, a quickfire fifty from Mumbai’s Anshuman Jha could propel another name into the batting conversation.
Small margins matter. Only three bowlers have previously breached 30 wickets in a single IPL season, Rabada among them. Seven league matches remain for most sides; the race is open, yet control still lies with those who make the most of current form.
As ever, numbers will shift, but for one quiet night in Jaipur, Rabada and Gill reminded everyone why the caps so often end up on proven heads – even in a tournament that rarely sits still for long.
