THE BIRTH OF THE PURPLE CAP
Deadly pacers and masters of spin rattle wickets and rule minds as they sport the cap with pride
It was on May 13, 2008, that the IPL announced a Purple Cap for the bowler with the highest number of wickets in an edition. This happened soon after the Orange Cap for the highest run-getter was announced. It was also decided that in the event of a tie at any given time, the holder will be determined by a superior economy rate.
PAKISTAN’S TANVIR EMERGES THE FIRST WINNER
The first bowler to win the Purple Cap was Pakistan’s leftarm pacer Sohail Tanvir who played for Rajasthan Royals. In Jaipur, he wrecked the CSK batting line-up with a spell of 6 for 14 to bowl them out for 109 runs.
A SPINNER DOES IT FOR THE FIRST TIME
In 2009, Deccan Chargers’ RP Singh won the Purple Cap with 23 wickets from 16 matches. He is in the 20th position among top wicket-takers in the IPL with 90 wickets. The 2010 edition saw left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha of the Deccan Chargers bagging 21 wickets from 16 matches to win the Purple Cap.
MALINGA IN DEADLY FORM
In the 2011 edition, Mumbai Indians’ Lasith Malinga was in deadly form setting a new mark bagging 28 wickets from 16 matches. Today he proudly holds the top position among IPL bowlers with 170 wickets from 122 matches. Delhi Daredevils’ Morne Morkel with 25 wickets from 26 matches tops the charts in 2012.
MASTER OF DEATH BOWLING
Dwayne Bravo ruled the 2013 and 2015 editions, when the CSK pacer walked away with the Purple Cap. He bagged 32 wickets from 18 matches in 2013, and 26 wickets from 17 matches in 2015, proving he is a master of death bowling.
THE REIGN OF BHUVNESHWAR KUMAR
In the 2016 and 2017 IPL editions, Bhuvneshwar Kumar of Sunrisers Hyderabad bagged the Purple Cap. In 2016 he took 23 wickets from 17 matches while in 2017 he bettered his show with 26 wickets from just 14 matches. .
TAHIR’S GOOGLIES AND CELEBRATION
In 2019, CSK’s leg spinner Imran Tahir emerged as the leading wicket-taker with his googlies to bag 26 wickets from 17 matches. The joy with which he celebrates on taking a wicket by spreading his arms makes him one of the colourful characters of the game.