The Purple Cap is one of the most unique features of the IPL, as it is awarded to players who have been successful in taking multiple wickets in a single edition of the IPL. KKR’s Varun Chakravarthy has been selected as a strong contender for IPL 2026.
The IPL has been largely dominated by batsmen who have contributed to their team’s success to a great extent. Many legendary fast bowlers and spinners have won the IPL Purple Cap. Sohail Tanvir was the first winner in the first season of Rajasthan Royals in 2008.
After that Lasith Malinga, RP Singh, Morne Morkel, Dwayne Bravo, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Mohammed Shami and Yuzvendra Chahal; Several players have been rewarded with the same award. Prasidh Krishna was the last Purple Cap winner in IPL 2025.
Cricket experts pick Varun Chakravarthy as Purple Cap winner ahead of IPL 2026
Several cricket experts on the Star Sports expert panel picked potential options for the Purple Cap for IPL 2026. At least in the case of the majority, there was not much difference in their preferences.
Former RCB captain Faf du Plessis picked Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Varun Chakravarthy as the ideal bowler to clinch the Purple Cap at the end of the season. Former KKR spinners Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla also supported the experienced spinner.
Varun Chakraborty did not have a good season in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, but still there are a lot of expectations from him. Cheteshwar Pujara, Saba Karim and former CSK fast bowler Lakshmipathy Balaji also supported the KKR star.
After finishing two seasons with 20+ wickets, Varun Chakravarthy took 17 wickets in 2025 and still remained KKR’s leading wicket-taker of the season. He also reached the milestone of 100 IPL wickets.
PBKS all-rounder backs Jasprit Bumrah to win Purple Cap for the first time
Jasprit Bumrah finished the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 as the joint-highest wicket-taker in the competition. At the end of the tournament, this legendary fast bowler returned to excellent form. He took 18 wickets from 12 matches for Mumbai Indians last season.
Despite his huge impact on Mumbai Indians’ victory, Jasprit Bumrah has not won a Purple Cap till the end of the season. His best season so far came in 2020, when he played 15 matches and took 27 wickets, leading Mumbai to their fifth title.
Former PBKS all-rounder Irfan Pathan picked Jasprit Bumrah as the Purple Cap winner in IPL 2026. The all-rounder has shown faith in the Indian rockstar. Former Sunrisers Hyderabad fast bowler Varun Aaron, with his third Purple Cap in the IPL, picked Harshal Patel from SRH, while Hanuma Vihari picked Delhi Capitals superstar Kuldeep Yadav.
Forgotten Indian spinner backed by ex-PBKS coach in IPL 2026
Despite the likes of Noor Ahmed, Trent Boult and Josh Hazlewood getting so close to Krishna’s final tally of wickets, no pundit picked a single foreign bowler to race for the Purple Cap.
Former PBKS coach, Sanjay Bangar chose PBKS’s Rs 18 crore spinner Yuzvendra Chahal as the main wicket-taker in the IPL. Yuzvendra Chahal is the highest wicket-taker in the IPL and undoubtedly one of the most talented cricketers in the IPL.
Chahal never looked back after 2019; He loves watching him between the wickets. After consistently successful seasons for Rajasthan Royals between 2022 and 2024, he moved to the Kings, where he managed to take a moderate 16 wickets in 2025. However, he has not played for the Indian team for almost three years.
Star Sports experts predict Purple Cap winner in IPL 2026
Faf – Varun Chakraborty.
Irfan-Bumrah.
Vihari-Kuldeep.
Harbhajan-Varun.
Aaron – Harshal Patel.
Kaif – Varun.
Chawla-Varun.
Banger – Chahal.
Pujara-Varun.
Saba Kareem – Varun.
Balaji-Varun. pic.twitter.com/ZpInluZ18D– Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) 27 March 2026
Also read: Top four teams of IPL 2026 predicted by Faf du Plessis, Harbhajan Singh and other experts