IPL Purple Cap Winners: Who is the king of wickets in IPL? Know the complete history of 18 seasons of Purple Cap

IPL Purple Cap Winners: There is not much time left for the 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to start and in such a situation, all eyes are not only on the teams but also on the individual performance of the players. In this series, today we are telling you about that special award, which especially honors the performance of bowlers.

In IPL, while the Orange Cap is given to the batsman who scores the most runs, the Purple Cap is given to the bowler who has taken the most wickets in the entire season. This tradition, which started in the year 2008, has given a different identity to the bowlers. The bowler who takes the most wickets during the tournament wears the purple cap on the field, and is officially awarded the honor at the end of the season.

Let us tell you that if the wickets of two bowlers are equal, then the player with better economy rate is given priority, this rule makes it more interesting.

Who won the Purple Cap most number of times?

The record for winning the Purple Cap the most number of times in IPL history is held by West Indies star all-rounder Dwayne Bravo. He won this title twice, in 2013 and 2015. In his IPL career, Bravo has performed brilliantly in bowling as well as batting. He has 1560 runs in his account, which includes 5 half-centuries.

That means Bravo has been making important contributions to the team not only as an excellent bowler but also as an effective batsman. For this reason he is counted among the top all-rounders of IPL.

Apart from him, India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2016, 2017) and Harshal Patel (2021, 2024) have also achieved this feat twice each.

Record of most wickets in a season

The record for taking the most wickets in Purple Cap history is jointly held by Dwayne Bravo (32 wickets, 2013) and Harshal Patel (32 wickets, 2021). However, Bravo is given the edge in this record due to better economy rate.

If we talk about the bowler who has taken the most wickets (all time most wicket taker) in all seasons combined, then this record is in the name of India’s star spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. He has taken a total of 221 wickets in 176 matches so far. It is noteworthy that Chahal also won the Purple Cap by performing brilliantly in IPL 2022.

Glimpse of Purple Cap winners in 18 years

In the inaugural season of IPL, Pakistan’s Sohail Tanvir (2008) won the first Purple Cap by taking 22 wickets. After this, legendary bowlers like Lasith Malinga, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada made their place in this list.

In recent years, the dominance of Indian bowlers has been seen. Mohammed Shami performed brilliantly in 2023, while in 2024, Harshal Patel again proved his ability. In 2025, the famous Krishna of Gujarat Titans won the Purple Cap by taking 25 wickets. Indian bowlers have been impressive in the last 5 years.

18th season – bowler taking the most wickets

2008 – Sohail Tanvir (RR) – 22 wickets
2009 – R.P. Singh (DCH) – 23 wickets
2010 – Pragyan Ojha (DC) – 21 wickets

2011 – Lasith Malinga (MI) – 28 wickets
2012 – Morne Morkel (DD) – 25 wickets
2013 – Dwayne Bravo (CSK) – 32 wickets

2014 – Mohit Sharma (CSK) – 23 wickets
2015 – Dwayne Bravo (CSK) – 26 wickets
2016 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar (SRH) – 23 wickets

2017 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar (SRH) – 26 wickets
2018 – Andrew Tye (KXIP) – 24 wickets
2019 – Imran Tahir (CSK) – 26 wickets

2020 – Kagiso Rabada (DC) – 30 wickets
2021 – Harshal Patel (RCB) – 32 wickets
2022 – Yuzvendra Chahal (RR) – 27 wickets

2023 – Mohammed Shami (GT) – 28 wickets
2024 – Harshal Patel (PBKS) – 24 wickets
2025 – Prasidh Krishna (GT) – 25 wickets

Increasing dominance of Indian bowlers

The performance of Indian bowlers has continuously improved in the last few seasons. Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s swing, Jasprit Bumrah’s yorkers and Mohammed Shami’s line-length have given bowling new heights in the IPL.

In IPL, Purple Cap is not just an award but has become a symbol of prestige for the bowlers. While the brilliance of the batsmen often grabs the headlines, this cap proves that the role of the bowlers is equally important in winning the match.

In the coming season, it will be interesting to see which bowler comes out ahead in this race for wickets.