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The big matches of the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) playoffs are going to start from today i.e. Tuesday (26 May). In this 19th season of the tournament, Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2 and then the final match will be played for the title. But amidst this title battle, the competition among the players to win the individual highest honor i.e. Orange Cap (most runs) and Purple Cap (most wickets) is also at its peak.
In many other cricket leagues of the world, top players are selected only after the league phase, but the rules of IPL are different. Here this race continues till the last ball of the final match. Many star players are out of this race due to their teams being out, while the players of the teams that have reached the playoffs still have 1 to 3 more matches left. Let’s take a look at the top-5 contenders for both the caps after the league phase:
Orange Cap race: 4 Indian batsmen shine in top-5
The dominance of Indian batsmen is clearly visible in this season. The top-5 contenders for the Orange Cap include 4 Indians and only one foreign player. However, KL Rahul (593 runs) of Delhi Capitals, who was at number four, is now officially out of this race due to his exit from the team.
IPL 2026 Orange Cap (Top-5 list after league phase)
Note: Apart from these, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma and Virat Kohli also remain in the top-10 list on the basis of their excellent batting.
Purple Cap race: Battle for number 1 between Bhuvneshwar and Rabada
Talking about bowlers, the race for the Purple Cap is also at a very interesting juncture. Great bowler for Chennai Super Kings Anshul Kamboj (21 wickets) He is at fourth position, but due to CSK being out of the playoffs, he will not be able to add further wickets. Currently, Bhuvneshwar Kumar of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kagiso Rabada of Punjab Kings are jointly at the top.
IPL 2026 Purple Cap (Top-5 list after league phase)
1.Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Sunrisers Hyderabad) — 24 wickets:Rank 1.
Experienced Indian swing sultan Bhuvneshwar Kumar is on top with 24 wickets. Being in the playoffs, they have a great opportunity to increase this number further.
2.Kagiso Rabada (Punjab Kings) — 24 wickets:Rank 2.
Rabada has also taken 24 wickets with his speed and accurate bowling and he is jointly ranked number one with Bhuvi.
3.Jofra Archer – 21 wickets:Rank 3.
England’s fast bowler Joffra Archer remains in third place this season with 21 wickets on the basis of his sharp bowling.
4.Anshul Kamboj (Chennai Super Kings) — 21 wickets:Rank 4.
CSK’s young bowler Anshul performed brilliantly and took 21 wickets, but due to the end of the team’s journey, his claim has stopped here.
5.Rashid Khan (Gujarat Titans) — 19 wickets:Rank 5.
Afghanistan’s star spinner Rashid Khan is at fifth position with 19 wickets. With Gujarat being in the playoffs, Rashid can jump into this list.
Playoff matches will change the equation
Since qualifiers and eliminator matches are now to be played between the top teams, players like Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill, Heinrich Klaasen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan are yet to play. 1 to 3 matches Can get to play. In such a situation, it will be interesting to see which player ultimately adorns the shining orange and purple cap of IPL 2026.
