Prasidh Krishna holds IPL Purple Cap with 25 wickets in 2025 as all 18 winners named

Prasidh Krishna sits atop the IPL's bowling honour

The Indian Premier League's Purple Cap stands among the most sought-after individual accolades in T20 cricket, awarded to the leading wicket-taker of each season. The honour carries a cash reward of INR 10 lakh for the winner, presented at the conclusion of the IPL final alongside the Orange Cap, which goes to the tournament's highest run-getter.

Over the years some of the greatest bowlers in the shortest format have claimed the Purple Cap, including Lasith Malinga, Dwayne Bravo, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Yet some of the game's most iconic names have never won it: Jasprit Bumrah, Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla and Ravichandran Aswhin are among those who have missed out.

From Sohail Tanvir to back-to-back glory

The inaugural winner in the debut 2008 season was Pakistan's Sohail Tanvir, who scalped 22 wickets for the Rajasthan Royals. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, however, remains the only bowler to win the Purple Cap in consecutive seasons, doing so in 2016 and 2017 for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Only two other players have won the Purple Cap multiple times: Dwayne Bravo and Harshal Patel. Harshal Patel holds the distinction of winning it with two different franchises — with Delhi Capitals in 2021 and Punjab Kings in 2024.

Record books: 32 wickets at the top, 21 at the bottom

Harshal Patel also owns the record for the most wickets in a single season among Purple Cap winners, taking 32 for Delhi Capitals in 2021. Kagiso Rabada is the only other bowler to reach 30 or more wickets in a season, tallying 30 for Delhi Capitals in 2020.

At the other extreme, the fewest wickets needed to claim the Purple Cap belongs to Pragyan Ojha, who took just 21 for the Deccan Chargers in 2010 and still finished on top.

Franchise dominance

Among teams, the Hyderabad-based franchise — Deccan Chargers and Sunrisers Hyderabad — leads with four Purple Caps: RP Singh (2009), Pragyan Ojha (2010) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in 2016 and 2017. Chennai Super Kings also have four, through Dwayne Bravo (2013, 2015), Mohit Sharma (2014) and Imran Tahir (2019).

The Delhi franchise — Delhi Daredevils and Delhi Capitals — has three, with Morne Morkel (2012) followed by Kagiso Rabada and Harshal Patel in back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021. Rajasthan Royals have two, courtesy of Sohail Tanvir (2008) and Yuzvendra Chahal (2022), as does the Punjab-based outfit — KXIP/PBKS — via Andrew Tye (2018) and Harshal Patel (2024).

Gujarat Titans also have two, with Mohammad Shami (2023) and current holder Prasidh Krishna (2025), while Mumbai Indians' lone Purple Cap came in 2011 when Lasith Malinga topped the charts with 28 wickets.

Overseas vs Indian and the current holder

Across the 18 seasons completed, overseas players have won the Purple Cap eight times, while Indian players have claimed it ten times. The current holder is Gujarat Titans' Prasidh Krishna, who picked up 25 wickets in the IPL 2025 season.