The Purple Cap is awarded to the highest wicket-taking bowler. Though the T20 format and white-ball cricket are not bowler-friendly, it is bowlers who win the titles for their sides. The major reason behind the teams like Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab not winning the title is because of their bowling line-up. These two sides have one or two bowlers who perform on a consistent basis. However, the lack of support has made it difficult for the sides to perform consistently.
On the other hand, there are title-winning sides like Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings who have the bowlers, taking the wickets on a consistent basis. In 14 seasons, the Purple Cap is won five times by Indians whereas foreign recruits have won it nine times. Rudra Pratap Singh played a key part in the title charge of now-defunct, Deccan Chargers in 2009. Imran Tahir was instrumental in Chennai Super Kings win in 2019. In 2020, Kagiso Rabada endured heartbreak as Delhi Capitals failed to win the trophy.
IPL 2021 can really be one of the best humdingers. The teams have stacked their sides with the best bowlers available Pat Cummins failed to get going in 2020 but will look to win the Purple Cap in 2021 whereas Kagiso Rabada will once again look to win the Purple Cap along with the title.
List of all IPL Purple Cap Winners
| PLAYER | TEAM | MAT | INN | WKTs | OV | RUNS | 5WKTs | ECO | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | K Rabada | Delhi Capitals | 17 | 17 | 30 | 65.4 | 548 | 0 | 8.34 | |
| 2 | JJ Bumrah | Mumbai Indians | 15 | 15 | 27 | 60.0 | 404 | 0 | 6.73 | |
| 3 | TA Boult | Mumbai Indians | 15 | 15 | 25 | 57.2 | 457 | 0 | 7.97 | |
| 4 | A Nortje | Delhi Capitals | 16 | 16 | 22 | 61.0 | 512 | 0 | 8.39 | |
| 5 | YS Chahal | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 15 | 15 | 21 | 57.1 | 405 | 0 | 7.08 | |
| 6 | Rashid Khan | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 16 | 16 | 20 | 64.0 | 344 | 0 | 5.37 | |
| 7 | Jofra Archer | Rajasthan Royals | 14 | 14 | 20 | 55.4 | 365 | 0 | 6.55 | |
| 8 | M Shami | Kings XI Punjab | 14 | 14 | 20 | 53.4 | 460 | 0 | 8.57 | |
| 9 | Varun Chakravarthy | Kolkata Knight Riders | 13 | 13 | 17 | 52.0 | 356 | 1 | 6.84 | |
| 10 | T Natarajan | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 16 | 16 | 16 | 62.5 | 504 | 0 | 8.02 |