The IPL Purple Cap list below names the leading wicket taker of every season, from Sohail Tanvir’s 22 wickets for Rajasthan Royals in 2008 to Kagiso Rabada’s 29 for Gujarat Titans (GT) in 2026.
The source is the full ball-by-ball record of 1,243 IPL games, 18 Apr 2008 through 31 May 2026. Super over wickets are not counted. When two bowlers finish level, the official cap can go to either through a tie-break, so this list shows whoever sits first on our table. Teams carry their current names, which matters for a few early winners.
What the Purple Cap winners have in common
Nineteen seasons, fifteen different winners. The bar has sat in a narrow band: every winner took between 21 and 32 wickets. Pragyan Ojha of Deccan Chargers won with the smallest haul, 21 in 2010. At the other end, Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings) took 32 in 2013 and Harshal Patel (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) matched him in 2021, Patel doing it in 15 matches to Bravo’s 18.
Chennai Super Kings bowlers have won it four times: Bravo twice, Mohit Sharma in 2014 and Imran Tahir in 2019. GT, who only joined in 2022, already have three, through Mohammed Shami, Prasidh Krishna and Rabada. Deccan Chargers, a defunct side kept apart from SRH, own two from 2009 and 2010.
Indian bowlers have won more than half of the caps, among them RP Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal. Three spinners appear: Ojha, Tahir and Chahal.
IPL Purple Cap List: Winners by Season
Worked out from every match of each season. Where two players finish level, the official cap can be decided by a tie-break; this list shows the player first on our table.
| Season | Player | Wickets | M | Avg | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | K Rabada Gujarat Titans | 29 | 17 | 21.59 | 9.68 |
| 2025 | M Prasidh Krishna Gujarat Titans | 25 | 15 | 19.52 | 8.27 |
| 2024 | HV Patel Punjab Kings | 24 | 14 | 19.88 | 9.73 |
| 2023 | Mohammed Shami Gujarat Titans | 28 | 17 | 18.64 | 8.03 |
| 2022 | YS Chahal Rajasthan Royals | 27 | 17 | 19.52 | 7.75 |
| 2021 | HV Patel Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 32 | 15 | 14.34 | 8.15 |
| 2020 | K Rabada Delhi Capitals | 30 | 17 | 18.27 | 8.35 |
| 2019 | Imran Tahir Chennai Super Kings | 26 | 17 | 16.58 | 6.70 |
| 2018 | AJ Tye Punjab Kings | 24 | 14 | 18.67 | 8.00 |
| 2017 | B Kumar Sunrisers Hyderabad | 26 | 14 | 14.19 | 7.05 |
| 2016 | B Kumar Sunrisers Hyderabad | 23 | 17 | 21.30 | 7.42 |
| 2015 | DJ Bravo Chennai Super Kings | 26 | 16 | 16.38 | 8.14 |
| 2014 | MM Sharma Chennai Super Kings | 23 | 16 | 19.65 | 8.40 |
| 2013 | DJ Bravo Chennai Super Kings | 32 | 18 | 15.53 | 7.95 |
| 2012 | M Morkel Delhi Capitals | 25 | 16 | 18.12 | 7.19 |
| 2011 | SL Malinga Mumbai Indians | 28 | 16 | 13.39 | 5.95 |
| 2010 | PP Ojha Deccan Chargers | 21 | 16 | 20.43 | 7.29 |
| 2009 | RP Singh Deccan Chargers | 23 | 16 | 18.13 | 6.99 |
| 2008 | Sohail Tanvir Rajasthan Royals | 22 | 11 | 12.09 | 6.46 |
Bowlers Who Won the Purple Cap More Than Once
| Player | Times |
|---|---|
| DJ Bravo | 2 |
| B Kumar | 2 |
| K Rabada | 2 |
| HV Patel | 2 |
Repeat winners and the economy story
Four bowlers have topped the list twice. Bhuvneshwar Kumar of Sunrisers Hyderabad is the only one to do it in back-to-back seasons, 2016 and 2017. Bravo won in 2013 and 2015 for CSK. Rabada’s two came for different teams, Delhi Capitals in 2020 and GT in 2026, and Harshal Patel’s were split between RCB in 2021 and Punjab Kings in 2024.
The economy column shows how batting has changed. Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians) went at 5.95 an over in 2011, the tightest of any winner, and Tanvir conceded only 6.46 in 2008 with an average of 12.09. The last three caps went for 9.73, 8.27 and 9.68 an over. Wickets still come, but at a far higher cost per over than in the early seasons.
For run scorers, the matching list is the IPL Orange Cap list.
Old team names on the Purple Cap table
Because the tables use today’s franchise names, three entries need a note. Morne Morkel’s 25 wickets in 2012 sit under Delhi Capitals, the team then called Delhi Daredevils. Andrew Tye’s 24 in 2018 are shown under Punjab Kings, then Kings XI Punjab. Harshal Patel’s 32 in 2021 appear under Royal Challengers Bengaluru, then spelled Bangalore.
Deccan Chargers are not the same team as Sunrisers Hyderabad, so RP Singh’s 23 in 2009 and Ojha’s 21 in 2010 stay with Deccan. Kumar’s two caps belong to SRH alone.
To see how these single seasons compare with whole careers, the most wickets in IPL page ranks every bowler by total wickets. Full season detail, including the champions and best bowling figures, is on season pages, for instance IPL 2021 records or IPL 2013 records.
Questions about Purple Cap list
Who won the IPL Purple Cap in 2026?
Kagiso Rabada of GT topped the 2026 wickets table: 29 scalps from 17 games, averaging 21.59. It was his second Purple Cap after 30 wickets for Delhi Capitals in 2020.
What is the best wicket haul in a single IPL season?
Dwayne Bravo (CSK, 2013) and Harshal Patel (RCB, 2021) share it on 32. Patel needed 15 matches and averaged 14.34, while Bravo played 18 matches at 15.53.
Who has won the Purple Cap the most times?
No one has won it more than twice. Bravo, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rabada and Harshal Patel have two each. Kumar is the only one to win in consecutive seasons, 2016 and 2017 for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Which bowlers won the Purple Cap in 2024 and 2025?
In 2024 Harshal Patel, playing for Punjab Kings, finished on 24 wickets from 14 games. In 2025 Prasidh Krishna of GT headed the list on 25, averaging 19.52 and conceding 8.27 an over.
Who won the first IPL Purple Cap?
Sohail Tanvir of Rajasthan Royals in 2008, with 22 wickets in 11 matches. Nobody else on the list has averaged lower than his 12.09.
Source: ball-by-ball match data from Cricsheet.org (ODC-BY). See how we compile these records.