New Delhi, May 21 (H.S.): In the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), neither a batter nor a bowler from major franchises such as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) consistently dominated the headlines throughout the season. However, KKR pacer Kartik Tyagi has now made a significant leap in the Purple Cap standings following another impressive performance.

During the match against Mumbai Indians, Kartik Tyagi claimed two wickets to move up to fifth place in the Purple Cap race. He dismissed the crucial Tilak Varma and removed Deepak Chahar on the final ball of the innings, taking his wicket tally for the season to 18.

Tyagi had a relatively quiet start to the season, but he has now emerged as a consistent match-winning performer for KKR. Kolkata have strengthened their playoff hopes by winning six of their last seven matches.

Purple Cap Standings

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar continues to lead the Purple Cap table with 24 wickets. Gujarat Titans (GT) fast bowler Kagiso Rabada occupies the second spot with 21 wickets.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowler Anshul Kamboj is third with 20 wickets, while Rajasthan Royals (RR) pacer Jofra Archer and Kartik Tyagi are tied on 18 wickets each. However, Archer holds fourth place due to his superior economy rate of 9.14, while Tyagi is fifth with an economy rate of 9.42.

Meanwhile, veteran KKR spinner Sunil Narine picked up one wicket against Mumbai Indians while conceding only 13 runs. He now has 14 wickets this season and remains the most economical bowler of the tournament with an outstanding economy rate of 6.40.

Orange Cap Standings

There were no major changes in the Orange Cap race on Wednesday. KKR batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi could not bat after sustaining an injury while fielding, while Mumbai Indians opener Ryan Rickelton managed only six runs.

Rajasthan Royals youngster Vaibhav Suryavanshi continues to lead the Orange Cap standings with 579 runs. Lucknow Super Giants batter Mitchell Marsh is second with 563 runs.

Sunrisers Hyderabad wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen occupies third place with 555 runs, while Gujarat Titans openers B Sai Sudharsan (554) and Shubman Gill (552) are placed fourth and fifth respectively.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar