The Indian Premier League is known for big hits and high scores, but bowlers play a crucial role in winning matches. To recognize them, the Purple Cap is awarded to the highest wicket-taker each season.
The first Purple Cap was won by Sohail Tanvir in 2008 with 22 wickets for the Rajasthan Royals. In IPL 2025, Prasidh Krishna claimed it with 25 wickets for Gujarat Titans.
This article lists all winners from 2008 to 2025 and highlights their standout seasons.
Complete IPL Purple Cap Winners List (2008–2025)
Take a look at the IPL Purple Cap winners from 2008–2025, highlighting the season’s top wicket-takers and standout performances
| Season | Player | Team | Matches | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Sohail Tanvir | RR | 11 | 22 |
| 2009 | RP Singh | DC | 16 | 23 |
| 2010 | Pragyan Ojha | DC | 16 | 21 |
| 2011 | Lasith Malinga | MI | 16 | 28 |
| 2012 | Morne Morkel | DD | 16 | 25 |
| 2013 | Dwayne Bravo | CSK | 18 | 32 |
| 2014 | Mohit Sharma | CSK | 16 | 23 |
| 2015 | Dwayne Bravo | CSK | 17 | 26 |
| 2016 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | SRH | 17 | 23 |
| 2017 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | SRH | 14 | 26 |
| 2018 | Andrew Tye | KXIP | 14 | 24 |
| 2019 | Imran Tahir | CSK | 17 | 26 |
| 2020 | Kagiso Rabada | DC | 17 | 30 |
| 2021 | Harshal Patel | RCB | 15 | 32 |
| 2022 | Yuzvendra Chahal | RR | 17 | 27 |
| 2023 | Mohammed Shami | GT | 17 | 28 |
| 2024 | Harshal Patel | PBKS | 14 | 24 |
| 2025 | Prasidh Krishna | GT | 15 | 25 |
1. Sohail Tanvir (2008) – 22 Wickets
Sohail Tanvir became the first-ever IPL Purple Cap winner in 2008, picking up 22 wickets in only 11 games for Rajasthan Royals. His average of 12.09 and strike rate of 11.2 were simply outstanding for a first-edition tournament.
His unusual bowling action confused batters at every level. A spell of 6/14 against CSK became the gold standard for IPL bowling performances for over a decade.
Tanvir was central to Shane Warne’s bowling plans and played a key role in leading Rajasthan to the very first IPL title.
2. RP Singh (2009) – 23 Wickets
RP Singh claimed 23 wickets in 16 matches for Deccan Chargers during the South Africa-hosted 2009 season. He bowled with smart swing and pace, using the local conditions to challenge right-handers consistently in the Powerplay.
A match-winning spell of 4/22 against KKR, removing key players early, showed exactly how dangerous he was at the top of the innings.
Singh became the first Indian bowler to win the Purple Cap, and his form directly contributed to the Chargers lifting the title that year.
3. Pragyan Ojha (2010) – 21 Wickets
Pragyan Ojha made history as the first specialist spinner to win the Purple Cap, taking 21 wickets in 16 matches for Deccan Chargers in 2010. His average of 20.42 and economy of 7.29 reflected disciplined left-arm spin throughout the tournament.
He used flight and subtle variations to draw batters into mistakes, particularly in the middle overs, where he frequently broke partnerships.
Ojha’s success changed how teams valued spinners in T20 cricket, showing they could be genuine wicket-takers and not just run-savers.
4. Lasith Malinga (2011) – 28 Wickets
Lasith Malinga was unstoppable in 2011, finishing the season with 28 wickets in 16 matches for the Mumbai Indians. An economy of 5.95 alongside that wicket tally was near-impossible to achieve as a primary death bowler.
His slingshot action, combined with pinpoint yorkers and deceptive slower balls, made him the most feared bowler in the competition. A spell of 5/13 during the season summed up his total command.
Malinga broke the previous season record for most wickets and set a new benchmark for what pace bowling could achieve in T20 cricket.
5. Morne Morkel (2012) – 25 Wickets
Morne Morkel used his tall frame to generate steep bounce and claim 25 wickets in 16 matches for Delhi Daredevils in 2012. His average of 18.12 and strike rate of 16 made him a consistent performer across both the Powerplay and death overs.
A best spell of 4/20 against Kings XI Punjab highlighted his ability to take wickets in high-pressure games.
Despite his exceptional numbers, Morkel was controversially left out of Delhi’s semi-final XI, a decision fans and analysts still debate to this day.
6. Dwayne Bravo (2013) – 32 Wickets
Dwayne Bravo rewrote the record books in 2013 by becoming the first bowler to take 32 wickets in a single IPL season for CSK. His average of 15.53 and strike rate of 11.7 proved how consistently he delivered at the death.
MS Dhoni trusted Bravo in every crunch situation, and he rarely let the team down, taking at least one wicket in nearly every game he played.
His record of 32 wickets stood for eight years before being matched in 2021, cementing his place as one of the greatest T20 bowlers the league has seen.
7. Mohit Sharma (2014) – 23 Wickets
Mohit Sharma picked up 23 wickets in 16 matches for CSK in 2014, finishing with a best of 4/14. His back-of-the-hand slower ball and consistent lengths made him difficult to score off, especially at the top of the order.
He was tactically sharp under CSK’s guidance, learning to use field placements to create wicket-taking opportunities even when batters played carefully. Mohit Sharma finished the season with an impressive economy of around 8.39 and a bowling average of 19.65.
His 2014 numbers earned him a call-up to India’s 2015 World Cup squad, proving how impactful a purple cap season can be for a player’s career.
8. Dwayne Bravo (2015) – 26 Wickets
Dwayne Bravo became the first player to win two Purple Caps in 2015, taking 26 wickets in 17 matches once again for CSK.
He averaged 16.38 with an economy of 8.14, delivering the same reliable death-bowling brilliance he had shown two years earlier.
His 2015 campaign was built on smart variations rather than pace, outsmarting batters with cutters and dipping slower deliveries.
Bravo’s back-to-back dominance gave CSK the freedom to use their spinners more aggressively in the middle overs, knowing the death was fully covered.
9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2016) – 23 Wickets
Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 23 wickets in 17 matches for SRH in 2016, combining new-ball swing with accurate death bowling. He averaged 21.30 and maintained an economy of 7.42, often defending small totals with clinical precision in the playoffs.
His ability to dismiss top-order batters early and close out games at the death gave SRH a massive advantage throughout the tournament.
Bhuvi’s contribution was central to the Sunrisers’ maiden IPL title that season, establishing the franchise as a bowling-first powerhouse.
10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2017) – 26 Wickets
Bhuvneshwar Kumar made history in 2017 as the only player to win back-to-back Purple Caps, taking 26 wickets in just 14 matches.
His average of 14.19, economy of 7.05, and career-best 5/19 showed a bowler operating at the absolute peak of his powers.
He improved on his 2016 numbers across almost every metric, showing greater control and sharper variations in a season where batting scores kept rising.
His consecutive titles remain one of the greatest individual bowling achievements in IPL history and a benchmark for all-format seamers.
11. Andrew Tye (2018) – 24 Wickets
Andrew Tye took 24 wickets in 14 matches for Kings XI Punjab in 2018, recording three four-wicket hauls across the season. His knuckleball delivery consistently foxed top batters, making him impossible to read even after multiple encounters.
Andrew Tye ended the season with a tight economy of 8.00 and an outstanding bowling average of 18.66.
He achieved all this despite Punjab failing to reach the playoffs, making it one of the most individually impressive Purple Cap campaigns in the tournament’s history.
12. Imran Tahir (2019) – 26 Wickets
Imran Tahir claimed 26 wickets in 17 matches for CSK in 2019, setting a new record for wickets by a spinner in a single IPL season at the time. At 40 years old, he averaged 16.57 and bowled with an economy of 6.69.
His leg-spin and sharp googly consistently troubled batters on Chepauk’s turning tracks, outperforming many faster bowlers throughout the campaign.
The race for the cap went to the final match, where a spell of 2/23 was enough for Tahir to edge out Kagiso Rabada and claim the award.
13. Kagiso Rabada (2020) – 30 Wickets
Kagiso Rabada took 30 wickets in 17 matches for Delhi Capitals in the UAE edition of IPL 2020, becoming only the third bowler in history to cross the 30-wicket mark.
He averaged 18.26 and consistently hit his best-of-4/24 level on the abrasive Gulf tracks.
His late-swinging yorkers and raw pace were difficult to counter on pitches that rewarded fast bowling throughout the tournament.
Rabada’s wicket-taking streak of 25 consecutive IPL games was a remarkable record that underlined his consistency as one of the world’s premier T20 fast bowlers.
14. Harshal Patel (2021) – 32 Wickets
Harshal Patel equalled Dwayne Bravo’s all-time record with 32 wickets in just 15 matches for RCB in 2021. His average of 14.34 and strike rate of 10.5 were remarkable, and he also took a hat-trick and a five-wicket haul in the same season.
His slower-ball variations and clever pace changes made him near-unplayable in the final overs throughout the tournament.
Crucially, he reached 32 wickets in fewer matches than Bravo, making his season statistically the most efficient Purple Cap campaign in IPL history.
15. Yuzvendra Chahal (2022) – 27 Wickets
Yuzvendra Chahal broke the record for most wickets by a spinner in one season, taking 27 wickets in 17 matches for Rajasthan Royals in 2022.
He averaged 19.52 with an economy of 7.75, mixing flight and sharp turn to claim wickets on flat batting surfaces.
A hat-trick and a spell of 5/40 against KKR were standout moments in a campaign full of decisive performances.
Chahal pipped Wanindu Hasaranga by one wicket in a dramatic final-round finish, reinforcing his reputation as the best leg-spinner in IPL history.
16. Mohammed Shami (2023) – 28 Wickets
Mohammed Shami led Gujarat Titans’ bowling attack to a dominant 2023 season, finishing with 28 wickets in 17 matches. He was the most lethal Powerplay bowler of the year, recording an average of 18.64 and best figures of 4/11.
His traditional seam-up style and upright action generated consistent movement that exposed technical gaps in even the best batting lineups.
Shami also led a unique GT top-three sweep, finishing ahead of teammates Mohit Sharma and Rashid Khan in the final wicket-takers chart.
17. Harshal Patel (2024) – 24 Wickets
Harshal Patel claimed his second Purple Cap in 2024, this time for Punjab Kings, taking 24 wickets in 14 matches. He became the only bowler to win the award for two different franchises, adding another unique entry to an already historic career.
His dipping slower-ball yorkers remained his primary weapon, and he averaged 19.87 while playing a clearly defined role as a strike bowler in the death overs.
He finished ahead of Varun Chakaravarthy (21) and Jasprit Bumrah (20), winning on the back of his superior ability to take multiple wickets in the final overs of an innings.
18. Prasidh Krishna (2025) – 25 Wickets
Prasidh Krishna ended IPL 2025 as the Purple Cap holder, taking 25 wickets in 15 matches for the Gujarat Titans.
His pace above 145 kmph and steep bounce created problems for batters throughout the tournament, finishing with an average of 19.84 and an economy of 8.27.
A best spell of 4/41 in a high-stakes late-season encounter showed exactly the kind of big-match performance GT relied on from him.
Krishna became the second Gujarat Titans bowler to win the award in three years, narrowly ahead of Noor Ahmad (24) on the final wicket-takers chart.
Suggested Reads:
Conclusion: Dwayne Bravo And Bhuvneshwar Kumar Lead IPL History With The Most Purple Cap Wins
The IPL Purple Cap has been awarded to 15 different players over 18 seasons. Dwayne Bravo, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Harshal Patel have each won it twice, with Bravo and Patel holding the record of 32 wickets in a single season.
CSK bowlers have won the award most often, while the Gujarat Titans have produced two winners in the last three seasons.
IPL 2026 promises another exciting contest, with Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, and Yuzvendra Chahal all aiming for the Purple Cap.
