New Delhi, 25 April (H.S.): Following Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s five‑wicket victory over Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, the Orange Cap race has seen a major shift. Virat Kohli, after a stellar knock, has once again moved to the top of the run‑scorers’ list.

Chasing 206, Kohli opened the innings and smashed 81 runs off 44 balls, anchoring the chase with a blistering knock that put RCB on a firm path to victory. He remained at the crease until the 14th over and was deservedly named Player of the Match. With this innings, Kohli now has 328 runs in seven innings, reclaiming the Orange Cap and moving ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Abhishek Sharma (323 runs).

Sunrisers’ Heinrich Klaasen lies third on the list with 320 runs, while Gujarat Titans’ Shubman Gill has climbed to fourth place with 297 runs. In this match, Gill made 32 off 24 balls, enough to overtake Chennai Super Kings’ Sanju Samson in the overall standings.

RCB captain Rajat Patidar has also moved up the chart after the game. Despite scoring just 8 runs in this fixture, his season aggregate of 238 runs has brought him level with Sanju Samson. Patidar sits eighth on the list, with Samson one place behind in ninth, based on strike rate. Meanwhile, Gujarat’s B. Sai Sudharsan smashed a century off 58 balls—his fifth ton of the season—and has entered the top‑10 run‑scorers bracket.

The Purple Cap race has seen little change from this match, as only eight wickets fell in the contest. Gujarat pacer Prasidh Krishna, with 12 wickets, continues to share third place with Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Eshan Malinga. At the top, Chennai Super Kings’ Anshul Kambhoj and Lucknow Super Giants’ Prins Yadav remain joint‑leaders in the wicket‑takers’ list.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar also enhanced his tally by dismissing Jos Buttler, taking his wicket count to 11 for the season. He now sits in a three‑way tie for the next position along with Rajasthan Royals’ Jofra Archer and Ravi Bishnoi.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar