Sudarshan Tops Orange Cap with 638, Bhuvi Leads Purple Cap; Top 2 Get Direct Final Berth
starting on May 21st, Sunday’s clash between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals will conclude the group stage play. The top two teams will get a direct opportunity to reach the final, while the third and fourth-placed teams will face Hyderabad in the eliminator match.
Currently, the battle for the Orange and Purple caps among the players remains intense. At the top of the batting chart is Gujarat Titans’ star Sudarshan, who has scored 638 runs in 14 matches. Playing phenomenal cricket, Sudarshan has registered five half-centuries and one century in his 14 innings, firmly engraving his name in the record books. He is only the fourth Indian batsman in IPL history to reach 600 runs in a season before turning 23. Prior to him, Virender Sehwag accomplished this in 2012, Rishabh Pant in 2018, and Jos Buttler and David Warner in 2019.
Shubman Gill has achieved a similar feat, scoring 613 runs in 14 matches, including seven half-centuries. Right behind Gill in second place is Sudarshan-Shubman’s teammate, who has also crossed the 500-run mark this season. With at least two matches left in hand for both players, it remains to be seen how much further their individual run tallies will rise.
Following them in the next eight positions are: Heinrich Klaasen (603), Ruturaj Gaikwad (579), Ishan Kishan (569), Abhishek Sharma (563), Mitchell Marsh (563), Virat Kohli (557), KL Rahul (533), and Sanju Samson (477). Aside from Samson, all other batsmen have enhanced their run tallies.
The run gap between these players is narrow, so the battle for the Orange Cap will continue intensely until the final match. Notably, three of the top ten batsmen are Indian.
Meanwhile, bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar leads the race for the Purple Cap. Following him in the wickets column is a tight pack of contenders. The leading wicket-takers include: Wajid Khan (19), Ezazuddin Malinga (19), Jofra Archer (18), Kartik Tyagi (18), Mohammad Siraj (17), Prithvi Yadav (16), and Akif Shakib Sahin (15).
