The Purple cap is one of the most unique features in the IPL, as it is awarded to players who have managed to pick several wickets in a single edition of the IPL. KKR’s Varun Chakravarthy has been picked as the frontrunner for IPL 2026.
The IPL has been largely dominated by batters who have largely contributed to their team’s success. Several legendary pacers as well as spinners have picked up the IPL purple cap. Sohail Tanvir was the first-ever winner back in the Rajasthan Royals debut season of 2008.
After that, Lasith Malinga, RP Singh, Morne Morkel, Dwayne Bravo, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Mohammad Shami, and Yuzvendra Chahal; many players have been rewarded with the same award. Prasidh Krishna was the last purple cap winner in IPL 2025.
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Cricket Experts pick Varun Chakravarthy as Purple Cap winner ahead of IPL 2026
Several cricket experts from the Star Sports expert panel for the IPL 2026 went on to pick the likely possible options for the Purple Cap. They did not differ much in their choices, at least for the majority.
Former RCB captain Faf du Plessis picked Varun Chakravarthy, the Kolkata Knight Riders spinner, as the ideal bowler to end up with a purple cap at the end of the season. Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla, the former KKR spinners, also backed the veteran spinner.
Varun Chakravarthy did not have the best season in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, but still, high hopes are pinned on him. Cheteshwar Pujara, Saba Karim, and former CSK pacer Lakshmipati Balaji also backed the KKR star.
After finishing two seasons with 20+ wickets, Varun Chakravarthy picked 17 wickets in 2025 and was yet KKR’s highest wicket-getter of the season. He also reached the milestone of 100 IPL wickets.
PBKS all-rounder backs Jasprit Bumrah for maiden Purple Cap finish
Jasprit Bumrah finished the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 as the joint-highest wicket-taker in the competition. The ace pacer returned to great form towards the back end of the tournament. He had also picked 18 wickets out of 12 appearances for the Mumbai Indians in the last season.
Despite his immense impact on the Mumbai Indians’ wins, Jasprit Bumrah has never won a single purple cap by the end of the season. His best-ever season came in 2020, when he played 15 matches and picked 27 wickets, helping Mumbai to their fifth title.
Former PBKS all-rounder Irfan Pathan went on to pick Jasprit Bumrah as the purple cap winner in IPL 2026. The all-rounder has shown faith in the Indian rockstar. Sunrisers Hyderabad former pacer Varun Aaron picked Harshal Patel from SRH to finish with his third purple cap in the IPL, while Hanuma Vihari picked Delhi Capitals superstar Kuldeep Yadav.
Forgotten Indian spinner backed by Ex-PBKS coach in IPL 2026
Despite Noor Ahmed, Trent Boult, and Josh Hazlewood finishing so close to Prasidh Krishna’s final tally of wickets, no expert picked a single overseas bowler for the Purple Cap race.
Former PBKS coach, Sanjay Bangar, went on to pick Yuzvendra Chahal, the PBKS INR 18 crore spinner, as the lead wicket-taker in the IPL. Yuzvendra Chahal is the highest wicket-taker in the IPL and is undoubtedly one of the most talented cricketers in the IPL.
Chahal has never looked back since 2019; they have loved watching him amid the wickets. After back-to-back successful seasons for the Rajasthan Royals between 2022 and 2024, he moved to the Kings, where he managed to pick a moderate 16 wickets in 2025. However, he has not played in the Indian team for nearly three years.
🚨 STAR SPORTS EXPERTS PREDICTS PURPLE CAP WINNER IN IPL 2026 🚨
Faf – Varun Chakravarthy.
Irfan – Bumrah.
Vihari – Kuldeep.
Harbhajan – Varun.
Aaron – Harshal Patel.
Kaif – Varun.
Chawla – Varun.
Banger – Chahal.
Pujara – Varun.
Saba Karim – Varun.
Balaji – Varun. pic.twitter.com/ZpInluZ18D— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) March 27, 2026
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