Bowlers to win multiple Purple Cap in IPL history
What's the story
South African pacer Kagiso Rabada claimed the coveted Purple Cap in the 2026 Indian Premier League, having ended as the tournament's leading wicket-taker for a second time. Despite his stellar performance, his team, Gujarat Titans, lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the final. On this note, we look at the bowlers who have won the Purple Cap multiple times.
#4
Kagiso Rabada - 2020 & 2026
Rabada, the latest entrant on this list, bagged a total of 29 wickets from 17 outings in IPL 2026. While Rabada averaged 21.58, his economy rate of 9.68 was on the higher side. He also won the Purple Cap in IPL 2020 while representing Delhi Capitals. The speedster racked up 30 scalps from 17 matches at 18.26. He claimed two four-fers (ER: 8.34). No other bowler has claimed 28-plus wickets in multiple IPL seasons.
#3
Harshal Patel - 2021 & 2024
Harshal Patel, who has played a handful of T20Is for India, also owns two Purple Caps. Playing for RCB, he claimed 32 scalps at 14.34 from 15 outings in IPL 2021 (4w: 1, 5w: 1). His economy that season was 8.14. These are the joint-most wickets for a bowler in an IPL edition. Patel's second honor came in 2024 while representing Punjab Kings. He snapped up 24 wickets across 14 IPL games at a remarkable average of 19.87. His economy of 9.73 was a bit on the higher side.
#2
Bhuvneshwar Kumar - 2016 & 2017
Bhuvneshwar Kumar remains the only bowler to claim the Purple Cap in back-to-back seasons. Playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad, he finished as the highest wicket-taker in the 2016 and 2017 editions. His 17 outings in 2016 resulted in 23 wickets at 21.30. His economy was also a brilliant 7.42 (4W: 1). Enhancing his numbers even further, the Indian pacer claimed 26 wickets across 14 outings in 2017 at 14.19. His economy (7.05) also got better (5W: 1). Having snapped 28 wickets in IPL 2026, Bhuvneshwar narrowly missed out on his third Purple Cap.
#1
Dwayne Bravo - 2013 & 2015
West Indies talisman Dwayne Bravo was the first player to enter this list. He won two Purple Caps, both while representing Chennai Super Kings. In 2013, he claimed 32 scalps from 18 matches at 15.53 (4W: 1, ER: 7.95). Alongside Patel, he owns the record for taking the most wickets in an IPL season. The 2015 IPL edition was Bravo returning with 26 wickets across 17 outings at 16.38 (ER: 8.14).