Prasidh Krishna took 25 wickets last season and most of you couldn’t name his team without Googling.
That’s the Purple Cap for you. It doesn’t go to the best bowler. It goes to the bowler with the best conditions — guaranteed overs, a pitch that cooperates, and sometimes, a bowling attack weak enough that he gets all the work. Bumrah is objectively the greatest fast bowler in IPL history. He’s never won it. Not once in 13 seasons.
So before we do the usual “Bumrah, Rashid, repeat” thing, let’s actually break down which five bowlers have the setup to top the charts this season. IPL 2026 starts March 28. These are the ones worth watching.
Jasprit Bumrah — The Best Bowler Who’s Never Won It
183 wickets in 145 IPL matches. Joint highest wicket-taker at the T20 World Cup with 14 wickets at an economy of 6.21. And zero Purple Caps.
The reason is simple — MI’s attacks have historically been deep enough that wickets get shared. But here’s what’s different in 2026: Bumrah missed the entire 2025 season due to injury. He’s coming back hungry, match-fit from a dominant World Cup, and MI’s bowling stocks aren’t as stacked as they used to be.
More responsibility. More overs in pressure situations. More wickets available. This might genuinely be his year.
The risk? His body. If MI manage his workload and he misses even 3-4 games, the maths just don’t work. The record is 32 wickets — you need to play every game to get close.
Noor Ahmad — The Numbers Say Pay Attention
24 wickets in IPL 2025. Two four-wicket hauls. The Afghan left-arm wrist spinner absolutely terrorized batting lineups, and he’s only getting better.
His economy of 8.16 isn’t elite, but here’s what matters for the Purple Cap — he takes wickets. Consistently. In the middle overs when games are won and lost. He’s not trying to be economical. He’s hunting.
The question is whether opposition batters have figured him out after a full season of footage. If they haven’t, 25+ wickets is very much on.
Arshdeep Singh — PBKS’ Entire Bowling Plan
21 wickets in IPL 2025 — career best. Punjab Kings’ all-time highest wicket-taker. And here’s the kicker that nobody’s talking about: PBKS don’t have a deep bowling attack.
That’s usually bad for the team. It’s great for the Purple Cap.
Arshdeep bowls at the death. He bowls in the powerplay. He bowls when it’s tight. PBKS under Shreyas Iyer made it to the final in 2025, and Arshdeep was the reason they could defend any total. With Marco Jansen sharing the new ball (16 wickets in 14 matches last year), the opening spell workload is manageable — but the death overs are all Arshdeep’s.
More overs in high-wicket phases = more Purple Cap probability. Simple maths.
Eshan Malinga — The Debut Season Everyone Forgot
13 wickets in 7 games. Read that again.
Eshan Malinga — the Sri Lankan quick playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad — had a strike rate of 12.3 in his debut IPL season in 2025. That’s a wicket roughly every two overs. If he’d played a full season at that rate, he’d have shattered the record.
The catch — seven games is a tiny sample. Maybe teams have worked him out. Maybe SRH rotate him with other seamers. But if he gets 14 games, that strike rate even at half efficiency puts him at 20+ wickets comfortably.
He’s the dark horse nobody’s picking. Which historically is exactly the profile that wins the Purple Cap.
Sai Kishore — Spin, Chennai, and 14 Matches of Proof
19 wickets in IPL 2025 at a strike rate of 13.4 for Gujarat Titans. Left-arm orthodox. Consistent. And now here’s the part that matters — GT’s schedule gives him multiple games at spin-friendly venues.
Purple Cap races aren’t won by one magical spell. They’re won by picking up 1-2 wickets every single game for 14 matches straight. That’s exactly what Kishore does. No five-fers that make highlight reels. Just quiet, relentless accumulation.
In a tournament where the flashy names get injured, rested, or figured out — the boring consistent guy often ends up on top. Prasidh Krishna proved that last year.
The Big Names Missing From This List
Varun Chakravarthy has 100 IPL wickets. R Ashwin just said his “novelty is gone” after a rough second half of the World Cup. Rashid Khan is still world-class, but Anil Kumble himself flagged the “mystery factor fading.” Both play in strong bowling attacks where wickets get shared.
Being the best bowler and winning the Purple Cap are two completely different things. The cap goes to the bowler who gets the most opportunities and converts them.
Five days until we find out who that is.