IPL 2026 Qualifier 1: Bhuvneshwar Kumar Edges Kagiso Rabada in Purple Cap Race as RCB Face GT
Kagiso Rabada struck twice for Gujarat Titans, removing Venkatesh Iyer in the second over and Krunal Pandya in the 17th, but he endured an expensive spell as he conceded 54 runs in his four overs at an economy rate of 13.50. In contrast, Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a far more controlled outing. He dismissed Shubman Gill in the fourth over and returned to remove Rahul Tewatia in the 19th, finishing with 2 for 28 from his four overs. His lower economy rate was in line with his season figures, and he retained the Purple Cap as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker among these bowlers.
Among the other bowlers in action, Jason Holder made a strong impact by dismissing Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal in the same over. He finished with 2 for 39 and moved to 15 wickets for the season in nine matches, placing him 12th on the wicket-takers’ list. Rasikh Salam, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru pace option, also impressed with 2 for 24, taking his season tally to 16 wickets and moving into 10th place.
It was not a productive night for Gujarat Titans openers Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill, who managed only 14 and 2 respectively. However, both batters have been so consistent throughout the season that they remain at the top of the batting charts. Sai Sudharsan continues to lead with 652 runs, while Gill is second with 618.
Virat Kohli helped push Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a huge total of 254 for 5 with a brisk 25-ball 43. That innings lifted him to 600 runs for the season and moved him past KL Rahul of Delhi Capitals into fourth place in the run-scoring standings. Heinrich Klaasen of Sunrisers Hyderabad sits between Kohli and the top two batters.
Jos Buttler also edged closer to a major milestone, scoring 29 off 11 balls and moving to 498 runs, which places him 12th overall. Rajat Patidar was the standout performer with an unbeaten 93 off 33 balls, and his innings lifted him to 486 runs, enough to take him into 14th place on the season batting table.
