The league stage of IPL 2026 concluded with Rajasthan Royals securing a playoff berth and Delhi Capitals ending their campaign with a win, bringing final clarity to the Orange and Purple Cap standings.
Archer Moves Up Purple Cap Table
Jofra Archer’s all-round performance in Rajasthan Royals’ must-win clash against Mumbai Indians proved decisive, with his bowling figures of 3 for 17 lifting him to third place on the Purple Cap leaderboard.
Archer struck key blows in the powerplay, dismissing Rohit Sharma and Naman Dhir, before later removing Hardik Pandya to cap off a crucial spell. His tally of 21 wickets now places him behind only Bhuvneshwar Kumar of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kagiso Rabada of Gujarat Titans, both of whom lead the standings with 24 wickets each.
Archer’s rise saw him move past Anshul Kamboj, Rashid Khan and Eshan Malinga, setting up a close contest for the Purple Cap heading into the playoffs.
Orange Cap Race Tightens
The final round of league matches on May 24 also impacted the run-scoring charts. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi entered the day among the leading run-getters but managed only 4 runs against Mumbai Indians, taking his total to 583 and leaving him in fourth place at that stage.
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At the top of the leaderboard remain Gujarat Titans’ B Sai Sudharsan with 638 runs and Shubman Gill with 616, followed by Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Heinrich Klaasen on 606.
KL Rahul, however, made a significant move with a 60 off 30 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders. That innings took him to 593 runs for the season, lifting him above several players, including Sooryavanshi, and into fourth place by the end of the league phase.
Final Stretch Ahead
While the Orange Cap standings are likely to change during the playoffs, Rahul’s late surge ensured he finished the league stage on a high.
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On the bowling side, the race for the Purple Cap remains open, with Bhuvneshwar, Rabada, Archer and Rashid Khan all in contention as the tournament moves into its knockout phase.
