Gujarat Titans' South African cricket player Kagiso Rabada (R) is awarded the "Purple Cap" by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice president Rajeev Shukla during the presentation ceremony at the end of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 final match between Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Narendra Modi Stadium of Ahmedabad on June 1, 2026. Picture: Shammi MEHRA / AFP
Image: Shammi MEHRA / AFP
He may have been on the losing side in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as his Gujarat Titans (GT) went down to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday, but Kagiso Rabada can take much solace after winning the coveted Purple Cap for most wickets in the season.
Coming into the clash, Rabada was two wickets ahead of RCB’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the pair had been fighting for the top spot all season long.
With GT batting first, Kumar was more successful on the day with figures of 2/29, which briefly put him on top spot as he boasts a better bowling average this season.
But despite GT only managing 155/8 in their 20 overs and RCB getting off to an explosive start, Rabada helped complete a double strike for his team as he removed Devdutt Padikkal for one.
Though it was the only strike on the day for Rabada (1/44), it guaranteed him the top spot on the bowling charts.
Rabada finished with 29 wickets from 17 matches, one ahead of Kumar with 28 strikes from 16 games.
The last time Rabada took over 11 wickets in an entire IPL season was back in the 2022 edition while still playing for Punjab Kings. Of course, his 2025 debut season for GT was marred by his doping suspension for recreational drug use.
Though he served just a one-month suspension, he ended up playing just four matches without much success last season. In fact, it was Rabada’s worst-ever season in terms of wickets (two) taken and matches played in the IPL.