Indian Premier League 2026: Kohli Climbs Orange Cap Standings, Bhuvneshwar Strengthens Purple Cap Lead

The race for the Orange and Purple Caps in the 2026 IPL season continued to intensify on Wednesday, with several players making significant moves on the leaderboard after another high-scoring day in the tournament.

Kohli rises to third in Orange Cap race

Virat Kohli produced a sensational unbeaten century to guide Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a successful chase of 193 against Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur. The knock marked Kohli’s ninth IPL century and propelled him to third place in the Orange Cap standings.

Kohli now has 484 runs from 12 innings at a striking rate of 165.75 and trails only B Sai Sudharsan and Heinrich Klaasen in the run-scoring charts. Sai Sudharsan has accumulated 501 runs this season, while Klaasen currently leads the standings with 508 runs.

The battle for the Orange Cap remains extremely close, with Abhishek Sharma of Sunrisers Hyderabad close behind on 481 runs. KL Rahul representing Delhi Capitals has scored 477 runs so far, while Shubman Gill has added 467 runs for Gujarat Titans.

Bhuvneshwar extends Purple Cap advantage

In the bowling charts, Bhuvneshwar Kumar strengthened his hold on the Purple Cap race with another disciplined performance against KKR. The veteran pacer finished with figures of 1 for 34, taking his season tally to 22 wickets.

The former Purple Cap winner from 2016 and 2017 has now moved one wicket ahead of Kagiso Rabada, who sits second with 21 wickets.

Anshul Kamboj of Chennai Super Kings occupies third place with 19 wickets. A group of bowlers remain tied on 16 wickets, including Prince Yadav of Lucknow Super Giants, Rashid Khan of Gujarat Titans, Kartik Tyagi of Kolkata Knight Riders, and Eshan Malinga from Sunrisers Hyderabad.

With the league stage entering its decisive phase, both the Orange and Purple Cap races are expected to remain tightly contested in the coming matches.