RCB pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar grabbed the Purple Cap in spite of his side’s four-wicket loss to GT in the IPL 2026 match in Ahmedabad.
Published: May 1, 2026 10:57 AM IST
GT vs RCB IPL 2026: Shubman Gill’s Gujarat Titans stunned defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru by four wickets to remain in hunt for the IPL 2026 Playoffs. While Abhishek Sharma managed to hold on to the Orange Cap after match no. 42, RCB opener Virat Kohli and GT captain Shubman Gill made significant moves up the run-scoring charts after the clash at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Kohli started off the match in brilliant fashion, smashing GT’s South African pacer Kagiso Rabada for five successive fours but failed to carry on the momentum and was dismissed by the same bowler for 28 off 13 balls with 1 six and five fours. The knock was enough for Kohli to move up to 4th spot in the Orange Cap table with 379 runs in 9 matches with a strike-rate of 165.5 with 3 fifties.
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India’s Test and ODI skipper Gill wasn’t left too far behind either. Chasing a modest score of 156, Gill clobbered ace RCB pacer Josh Hazlewood for 24 runs in his opening over in the match. Gill rose to 5th place just behind Kohli with 373 runs in 8 matches at a strike-rate of 155.41 with 3 fifties after being dismissed for 43 in 18 balls with 3 sixes and 4 fours.
“Honestly, not really. I was just feeling like I was in the zone and on the first ball, I got a bit lucky. And the second one, I got in my zone, so I was like, okay, maybe today’s my day, you know. I was feeling really well. I was feeling confident. So I was like, I want to take the bowlers on,” Gill in the post-match presentation when asked if there was a conscious effort to be aggressive in the Powerplay overs.
Abhishek Sharma retained the Orange Cap with 425 runs in 9 matches at a strike-rate of 209.35 with 1 century and 3 fifties. But Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi can regain the top spot as he faces Delhi Capitals in match no. 43 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Friday. The 15-year-old prodigy is currently in 3rd spot with 400 runs in 9 matches at a strike-rate of 238.09.
IPL 2026 Orange & Purple Cap Race Heats Up! After the blockbuster clash of GT vs RCB (Match 42), the leaderboard is on fire Orange Cap Leader: Abhishek Sharma – 425 Runs (9 innings) Purple Cap Leader: Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 17 Wickets (9 innings) ⚡ Top contenders… pic.twitter.com/YqdTYJXES0
— Mumbai Strikers (@Mumbai_Strikers) May 1, 2026
Bhuvneshwar Kumar grabs Purple Cap
Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the stand-out performer with the ball, claiming 3/28 against the victorious GT team. Bhuvneshwar’s three wickets helped him grab the Purple Cap with 17 wickets in 9 matches at an amazing average of 15.52.
The former India pacer, who was retained for Rs 10.75 crore by RCB ahead of IPL 2025 season, became the first-ever bowler to claim 200 IPL wickets on Indian soil. He is also the first Indian fast bowler to claim 350 T20 wickets.
Bhuvneshwar went past Sunrisers Hyderabad and Sri Lanka fast bowler Eshan Malinga, who has picked up 15 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 18.93. GT pacer Kagiso Rabada joined Rajasthan Royals fast bowler Jofra Archer and Chennai Super Kings star Anshul Kamboj on 14 wickets after claiming 1/44 vs RCB.
PURPLE CAP LEADERBORAD : #IPL2026
(After Match 42)Bhuvneshwar Kumar in IPL 2026 is proving age is no barrier
17 : Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB)
15 : Eshan Malinga (SRH) ✈
14 : Jofra Archer (RR) ✈
14 : Anshul Kamboj (CSK)
14 : Kagiso Rabada (GT) ✈ #BhuvneshwarKumar pic.twitter.com/q9A2hzTZF3— Cricket Addiction (@CricketAdd1ct) May 1, 2026
RCB remain in 2nd spot on the Points Table
Defending champions RCB had the golden opportunity to rise to the top of the Points Table by going past Punjab Kings with a win over Gujarat Titans on Thursday. But Rajat Patidar’s side failed in the task and remain in 2nd place with 12 points from 9 matches – same as Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.
IPL 2026 POINTS TABLE pic.twitter.com/DsjB7yXErx
— Suraj Sikarwar (@SurajSikar39084) May 1, 2026
Riyan Parag’s RR can rise to the top of the table on Friday night if they can defeat Delhi Capitals. A win for RR will take taken to 14 points, one ahead of PBKS, who currently have 13 points in 8 matches.
GT have managed to close the gap to RR and have 10 points from 9 matches and are in 5th place on the Points Table.
