IPL 2026 Purple Cap: Eshan Malinga overtakes Bhuvneshwar Kumar to go top
Eshan Malinga has surged to the top of the IPL 2026 Purple Cap standings with 15 wickets after a crucial performance for Sunrisers Hyderabad. His disciplined bowling, including the vital wicket of Suryakumar Yadav, helped him overtake a close pack of bowlers. The race for the leading wicket-taker remains fiercely competitive as the league stage unfolds.
NEW DELHI: Eshan Malinga continued his impressive run in IPL 2026, rising to the top of the Purple Cap standings after a disciplined outing for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. The young pacer returned figures of 1 for 29 in his four overs, maintaining an economy rate of 7. 20 in a high-scoring contest where Mumbai piled up 243/5, powered by an unbeaten 123 from Ryan Rickelton.
Malinga’s lone breakthrough — the prized wicket of Suryakumar Yadav — proved significant, helping him edge ahead in the race for the tournament’s leading wicket-taker. With this performance, Malinga took his tally to 15 wickets this season, moving past a tightly packed group of bowlers who were level on 14 wickets. He leapfrogged Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jofra Archer and Anshul Kamboj to claim the top spot.
Bhuvneshwar currently sits second, thanks to a superior economy rate of 7. 61 among the trio tied on 14 wickets. Archer follows in third place with an economy of 8.
27, while Kamboj is fourth with 8. 56. The competition remains intense just below the top four.