With two outings in the book for every side – three in the case of Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders after Monday’s wash-out, plus Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings – the early tables for runs and wickets are beginning to take shape. Below is a snapshot before we get lost in projections and net-run-rate chatter.
Orange Cap – early pecking order
Sameer Rizvi has surprised a few. After tallying just 51 runs in 2024 and 121 in 2025, the Delhi Capitals No.4 has opened 2026 with knocks of 70* (47) against Lucknow Super Giants and 90 (51) against Mumbai Indians. Both efforts came in run-chases, both finished the match, and both earned him the Player-of-the-Match cheque. He sits on 160 runs at a strike-rate hovering around 165.
Forty-odd runs back is Heinrich Klaasen. The Sunrisers wicketkeeper has posted 31, 52 and 62 in his three hits, scoring at 147.95. Mumbai’s Rohit Sharma is third on 113, helped by a breezy 78 from 38 balls versus Knight Riders.
Three more batters have already broken the hundred-run mark:
• Devdutt Padikkal (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) – 111
• Cooper Connolly (Punjab Kings) – 108
• Angkrish Raghuvanshi (Kolkata Knight Riders) – 103
Ambati Rayudu, watching from the TV truck, called Rizvi’s evolution and temperament “amazing”. Aaron Finch nodded, adding that the 22-year-old now “looks fully at home at this level”. Those who remember Rizvi’s tentative first year will agree the change is stark.
Purple Cap – wickets shared for now
Four bowlers are tied on five wickets apiece. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi wears the cap by virtue of a better economy rate, thanks largely to his 4 for 41 that dragged Rajasthan Royals past Gujarat Titans. Blessing Muzarabani matched those figures for Knight Riders against Sunrisers, yet sits just outside the top bunch on four wickets.
Alongside Bishnoi at the summit are three quicks:
• Vijaykumar Vyshak (Punjab Kings)
• Jacob Duffy (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
• Anshul Kamboj (Chennai Super Kings)
All three have shown a handy mix of top-end pace and canny slower balls – variation still rules T20, no matter the year.
By-the-numbers extras
• Highest strike-rates with the bat: Rizvi leads at present, though Rahmanullah Gurbaz is lurking after a 24-ball 48.
• Most sixes: Klaasen has cleared the fence nine times, one ahead of Rohit.
• Best economy rates (minimum six overs): Muzarabani, a miserly 5.75; Bishnoi not far back on 6.12.
• Sharpest strike-rates with the ball: Duffy’s wicket every 10.2 balls is the pick so far.
Perspective, please
Twelve matches of a 74-game league is barely the first lap, and one monster innings or spell can flip these tables in a night. Even so, early markers matter: confidence, role clarity, and – for those wearing bright caps – a small psychological edge.
Finch summed it up neatly: “It’s early, but you’d rather be up there than chasing.” Hard to argue with that.
