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The Indian Premier League 2026 witnessed a major reshuffle in both the Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings following Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)’s five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans (GT) on Friday night.
Kohli leads from the front
Star batter Virat Kohli returned to familiar territory, both on the field and atop the Orange Cap table. Chasing 206, Kohli produced a match-defining 81 off 44 balls, guiding RCB’s pursuit before departing in the 14th over. His innings earned him the Player of the Match award and propelled him to 328 runs in seven innings this season.
Kohli now leads Abhishek Sharma of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who is close behind with 323 runs. SRH’s Heinrich Klaasen sits third with 320 runs.
GT skipper Shubman Gill climbed to fourth place after scoring 32 runs in the match, taking his tally to 297. His rise pushed Sanju Samson of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) down to fifth.
Sudharsan shines, Patidar steady
One of the standout performances came from GT opener B Sai Sudharsan, who smashed a brilliant 100 off 58 balls—the fifth century of the season—earning him a place in the top 10 run-scorers.
Meanwhile, RCB captain Rajat Patidar had a modest outing with 8 runs but still moved up the standings, drawing level with Ishan Kishan at 238 runs. Patidar edges ahead due to a superior strike rate.
Purple Cap race remains tight
The bowlers saw limited gains in the match, with only eight wickets falling. GT pacer Prasidh Krishna remained wicketless, staying tied in third place with Eshan Malinga at 12 wickets each.
The Purple Cap standings continue to be led by Anshul Kamboj of CSK and Prince Yadav from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
RCB’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar added to his tally by dismissing Jos Buttler, reaching 11 wickets. He now joins Jofra Archer and Ravi Bishnoi of Rajasthan Royals (RR) just behind the top four.
Competition intensifies
With the tournament progressing, the races for both the Orange Cap and Purple Cap are heating up. Narrow margins separate the top contenders, ensuring that every performance could significantly alter the standings in the coming matches
