IPL 2026 Orange Cap and Purple Cap after Qualifier 2: Sooryavanshi stays on top, Rabada surges ahead | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: The IPL 2026 Orange Cap and Purple Cap races witnessed another dramatic twist after Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 on Friday to set up a summit clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.Despite Rajasthan Royals crashing out of the tournament, teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continued to hold the Orange Cap with another breathtaking knock. The 15-year-old smashed 96 off just 47 balls in New Chandigarh, taking his tally to 776 runs from 16 matches this season.However, his heroic effort was not enough to take RR into the final.The biggest threat to Sooryavanshi’s Orange Cap now comes from Gujarat Titans’ opening duo of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, who once again starred in a crucial chase.Gill hammered a stunning century in Qualifier 2 to climb to second spot in the standings with 722 runs, while Sudharsan’s fluent half-century helped him move to third with 710 runs.With GT now advancing to the IPL 2026 final against RCB in Ahmedabad on Sunday, both Gill and Sudharsan will get one final opportunity to overtake Sooryavanshi in the race for the tournament’s highest run-scorer award.The top five run-getters list is currently dominated by batters from playoff teams. Sunrisers Hyderabad stars Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan occupy fourth and fifth spots respectively, with 624 and 602 runs.RCB batting icon Virat Kohli remains in contention as well. Kohli currently sits sixth with exactly 600 runs and could still make a late surge in the standings during the final.
IPL 2026 Orange Cap after GT vs RR
| Runs | M | Ave. | SR | 100s/50s | |
| Sooryavanshi | 776 | 16 | 48.50 | 237.30 | 1/5 |
| Gill | 722 | 15 | 48.13 | 163.71 | 1/6 |
| Sudharsan | 710 | 16 | 47.33 | 159.55 | 1/8 |
| Klaasen | 624 | 15 | 48.00 | 160.00 | 0/6 |
| Kishan | 602 | 15 | 40.13 | 182.42 | 0/6 |
Rabada overtakes Bhuvneshwar in Purple Cap race
The Purple Cap standings also saw a major change after Gujarat Titans pacer Kagiso Rabada delivered another impactful spell in Qualifier 2.Rabada picked up 2/35 against Rajasthan Royals to jump to the top of the wicket-takers’ chart with 28 wickets from 16 matches.The South African speedster now leads RCB pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar by two wickets heading into Sunday’s title clash. Bhuvneshwar is second in the standings with 26 wickets and will have a direct chance to challenge Rabada in the final.Rajasthan Royals fast bowler Jofra Archer finished his campaign in third place with 25 wickets from 16 games.Chennai Super Kings pacer Anshul Kamboj occupies fourth spot with 21 wickets, while Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Eshan Malinga rounds off the top five with 20 wickets from 15 matches.
IPL 2026 Purple Cap after GT vs RR
| Wickets | M | Ave. | Econ. | |
| Rabada | 28 | 16 | 20.78 | 9.43 |
| Bhuvi | 26 | 15 | 18.15 | 8.00 |
| Archer | 25 | 16 | 22.36 | 9.31 |
| Kamboj | 21 | 14 | 25.23 | 10.52 |
| Malinga | 20 | 15 | 25.35 | 9.33 |
With one match left in the tournament, both the Orange Cap and Purple Cap races remain wide open heading into what promises to be a blockbuster IPL 2026 final.
