IPL Purple Cap Winners List (2008-2026): Full List of Highest Wicket-Takers by Season

The Purple Cap, given to the bowler who takes the most wickets in an IPL season, is one of the most prestigious individual awards in the tournament. While the IPL is better known for big scores and fast batting, certain bowlers have consistently delivered and taken important wickets throughout the history of the tournament.

In IPL 2026, Gujarat Titans fast bowler Kagiso Rabada took the Purple Cap after finishing the season with 29 wickets in 17 matches. The South African was one of the bowlers of the tournament and played a vital role in the Gujarat Titans reaching the final. With the latest award, Rabada becomes the only the second bowler to win the Purple Cap on two occasions.

IPL Purple Cap Winners List (2008-2026)

Rabada Joins Elite Group of Multiple Purple Cap Winners

Rabada first won the Purple Cap back in 2020 for Delhi Capitals where he claimed 30 wickets in a season. Having won the award for a second time this year, he becomes only the fourth bowler in the history of the tournament to win the Purple Cap multiple times.

There are only four bowlers in history who have won the Purple Cap more than once. Dwayne Bravo was the first to achieve this feat, he won the award in 2013 and 2015, both times for Chennai Super Kings.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the next to join the band, he claimed back-to-back Purple Caps in 2016 and 2017 with Sunrisers Hyderabad. Harshal Patel later joined the band with two Purple Caps in 2021 and 2024 while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings respectively.

Several Bowling Greats Feature on the List

With four two-time winners now listed, there have been numerous other successful bowlers who have claimed the Purple Cap once in their career. These include Sohail Tanvir, RP Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Lasith Malinga, Morne Morkel, Mohit Sharma, Andrew Tye, Imran Tahir, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami and Prasidh Krishna.

Dwayne Bravo and Harshal Patel are the joint highest wicket-takers in a season when they claim the Purple Cap as both took 32 wickets each in 2013 and 2021 respectively. Rabada’s haul of 30 in 2020 also makes for impressive reading.

The list of Purple Cap winners shows that some bowlers do make their presence felt in the tournament, which is so dominated by high-scoring batsmen, from Tanvir winning the first award right up to Rabada's feat of 2026.