New Delhi, 02 May (H.S.): The race for the Orange Cap in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is turning increasingly thrilling. After Friday night’s match between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals, there has been a major shift in the Orange Cap list, with Delhi Capitals captain KL Rahul climbing to the top spot.

Significant changes have also been recorded in the Purple Cap standings.

Orange Cap rankings

Delhi Capitals’ opening batter KL Rahul is in superb form. He has amassed 433 runs this season to assume the lead in the Orange Cap race. Rahul has so far combined several modest scores with standout knocks of 92, 57, 37, an unbeaten 152, and 75, which have propelled him to the summit.

Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who held the top position with 400 runs before the match, could manage only four runs in this game and has slipped to fourth place. Ahead of him are Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Abhishek Sharma (425 runs) and Heinrich Klaasen (414 runs), who now occupy second and third positions, respectively.

Yashasvi Jaiswal also failed to make an impact in this match, scoring just six runs, and has now dropped to tenth place with 312 runs. Other batters inside the top‑ten list include Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bangalore, Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan of Gujarat Titans, Ishan Kishan, and Punjab Kings’ Prabhsimran Singh.

Purple Cap rankings

In the bowling charts, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar remains at the top. His five‑match spell of three‑wicket hauls has carried him to 17 wickets this season.

Rajasthan Royals’ Jofra Archer has now moved to second place with 15 wickets. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Ishan Mangala also has 15 wickets, but Archer holds the higher position due to his superior economy rate (8.62). Bhuvneshwar’s economy stands at 7.54, the best among the top‑ten wicket‑takers.

Chennai Super Kings’ Anshul Kambhoj and Gujarat Titans’ Kagiso Rabada are both on 14 wickets each and remain firmly placed on the list. Kambhoj will have a chance to move up the order when his side plays its next match.

The battle for both the Orange and Purple Caps in IPL 2026 is expected to grow even more exciting in the remaining fixtures.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar