IPL 2026 Purple Cap Race — Top Wicket Takers Updated After Every Match

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 started on March 28 and is set to continue till May 31, as the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will stage the final of the tournament. The two-month-long cricketing competition sees ten sides fighting for the title.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), under the leadership of Rajat Patidar, is the defending champion after winning the 2025 season of the competition against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and looks like a balanced side to earn two successive trophies.

Top 5 wicket-takers in IPL 2026—Full stats breakdown 

Here are the top five wicket-takers of IPL 2026 with full stats in the list-

#1 Kagiso Rabada (Gujarat Titans)- (29)

One of the reasons for the Gujarat Titans to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs is their bowling inside the power play. The right-arm pacer has used his pacer, superb length, and different plans to create pressure on the batters, especially on their home surface, where batting hasn’t been a comfortable task.

Kagiso Rabada has collected 29 wickets in 17 innings at an average of 21.58 and a strike rate of 13.21. He has bagged a decent economy rate of 9.68 with the best bowling figures of 3/25 in an innings. 

#2 Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)- (28)

Age is just a number, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has proved it again with a superb performance in the IPL 2026. He has made life hard for the batters with the new ball inside the power play. His line and lengths are perfect for the batters to make mistakes.

Bhuvi has picked up 28 wickets in 16 innings of the season at an average of 17.89 and a strike rate of 13.50. His economy rate of below eight is superb, with one four-wicket haul at the best bowling figures of 4/23 in an innings. RCB has been blessed with his bowling performance. 

#3 Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals)- (25)

By the start of the IPL 2026, Jofra Archer had made it a habit of picking wickets on his very first ball. But heading towards the end of the campaign, it made it hard. His pace has been at its best, and it was great to see the Barbados-born at his prime for the Rajasthan Royals.

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The right-arm fast bowler has got 25 wickets in 16 innings at an average of 22.36 and a strike rate of 14.40. His economy rate of 9.31 has been decent given the phases he has bowled with the best figures of 3/17.

#4 Rashd Khan (Gujarat Titans)- (21)

After a tough season of the IPL 2025 when Rashid Khan failed to find the same impact with the ball after marking his comeback to game post a long layoff due to the injury, he has slowly started to get back to his beast mode.    

Rashid has added 21 wickets in 16 innings so far of the IPL 2026 at an average of 24.57 and a strike rate of 16.23 with a decent economy rate of just nine, thanks to the best bowling figures of 4/33 in an innings.

#5 Anshul Kamboj (Chennai Super Kings)- (21)

Anshul Kamboj has bowled a few overs inside the power play for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2026. But his best performance came in the death overs, where he used the yorkers and slower deliveries to create pressure on the batters at a critical juncture of the game.

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India’s Kamboj has bagged 21 wickets in 14 innings at an average of 25.23 and a strike rate of 14.38. His economy rate of 10.52 has been a little expensive due to his weak performances towards the end of the edition. He has the best bowling figures of 3/22 in an inning.     

Most wickets in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026-