Kohli to Rahul to Vaibhav to Abhishek: How one Sunday flipped the Orange Cap four times
The Orange Cap standings experienced a dramatic shake-up on Sunday, with multiple batsmen claiming the top spot throughout the day. Abhishek Sharma ultimately secured the lead with a match-winning fifty, pushing Virat Kohli to fifth. This rapid shift underscores the intense competition in IPL 2026.
On Saturday night, Virat Kohli was sitting comfortably at the top of the Orange Cap standings after his match-defining 81 against the Gujarat Titans. But in a dramatic turn of events on Sunday, the leaderboard saw multiple shifts, pushing him down to fifth place by the end of the day. The day began with KL Rahul storming to the top in the afternoon, courtesy of a sensational unbeaten 152 against the Punjab Kings.
By evening, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi overtook him with his second century of the IPL. However, the final twist came at night when Abhishek Sharma claimed the Orange Cap with a match-winning 57 against the Rajasthan Royals. Abhishek Sharma is the new Orange Cap holder in IPL 2026 after his match-winning fifty against Rajasthan Royals.
In eight matches, he has amassed 380 runs at an average of 54. 29 and an explosive strike rate of 212. 29.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi now sits second on the list with 357 runs from eight matches. After his sensational century against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he has averaged 44. 63 while maintaining a staggering strike rate of 234.