IPL 2017: Purple Cap holders through the seasons

Rajasthan Royals Sohail Tanvir (C) celeb : News Photo
Sohail Tanvir was the winner of the first Purple Cap in 2008

Purple is a colour which is traditionally associated with aristocracy and royalty. It was the colour worn by Roman magistrates and became the imperial colour worn by the rulers of the Byzantine Empire, Holy Roman Empire and the Roman Catholic bishops.

Cricket, meanwhile, is often called a batsman’s game owing to the many rules which favour run making. The balance shifts towards the batsmen even more in the T20 format. Thus, many people would assume that bowlers don’t have an important role to play in the Indian Premier League.

However, over the past decade, we have seen the difference that good bowlers have made to the fortunes of their teams. Be it Shane Warne’s clever bowling in the first season or Lasith Malinga’s deadly death bowling; bowlers have been an integral part of the strategy of any team.

Extra Cover: IPL 2017: Orange Cap holders through the seasons

Recognising this importance, the organisers of the IPL introduced the concept of the “Purple Cap” to be given to the leading wicket-taker in the season.

Speaking about the initiative, the then IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi had said, “We have seen over the course of the inaugural season of the League so far that bowlers have just as important a role to play in winning T20 matches as batsmen do.”

In a build up to the 10th edition of the IPL, let’s take a look at the Purple Cap holders over different seasons.


2008 – Sohail Tanvir, Rajasthan Royals (Wickets – 22, Matches – 11)

2008 was the only season in which Pakistani players featured in the IPL and left-arm medium-fast bowler Sohail Tanvir made the most of this opportunity. Playing under Shane Warne for the Rajasthan Royals, Tanvir was the first winner of the Purple Cap.

Although he played only 11 of Royals’ 16 games, he took 22 wickets in the season. His skipper Warne followed him closely with 19 wickets from 15 games.

Tanvir’s 6-14 against Chennai Supper Kings at Jaipur still remains the best bowling performance in the tournament’s history. Though he did not have a great outing with the ball in the finals against the Super Kings, he was at the crease during the tense final overs and was instrumental in taking the Royals over the line.

With three needed off the last two deliveries, Tanvir hit Lakshmipathy Balaji for two runs in the penultimate delivery. He subsequently pulled the last delivery of the tournament for a single to script a famous victory for the Rajasthan Royals.

2009 – RP Singh, Deccan Chargers (Wickets – 23, Matches – 16)

Deccan Chargers v Royal Challengers Bangalore - IPL : News Photo
RP Singh picked up 23 wickets in 16 matches

If it was Warne who was the chief architect of Rajasthan Royal’s victory in the inaugural IPL season, then it was his Aussie teammate Adam Gilchrist whose astute captaincy ensured a victory for the Deccan Chargers in the 2009 season.

But this would not have been possible without the exploits of RP Singh. With 23 wickets from 16 matches, he ensured that the Purple Cap went to a left-arm medium pacer for the second consecutive year.

His best figures of 4-22 came against the Kolkata Knight Riders. He also had an excellent outing in the finals against Royal Challengers Bangalore and took 1 wicket for 16 runs in an economic spell of four overs.

This played a big part in the Chargers defending a small total of 143 runs. They eventually won by six runs

2010 – Pragyan Ojha, Deccan Chargers (Wickets – 21, Matches – 16)

Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers - IPL : News Photo
Pragyan Ojha is the only spinner to have won the Purple Cap

For the third time in a row, the Purple Cap went to a southpaw. This time around it was Pragyan Ojha, a left-arm spinner from the Deccan Chargers who was at the receiving end.

Though the Chargers were unable to defend their title, Ojha’s 21 wickets from 16 matches did help them reach the semi-finals which they lost to eventual winners, Chennai Super Kings.

His best figures of 3-26 in the season came in a losing cause against the Mumbai Indians. But his standout performance came in a match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore where he took 2-24 from four overs.

It was a high-scoring game in which no other bowler from either side had an economy rate less than 8 runs per over.

He is also the only spinner to win the Purple Cap across all the IPL seasons till date.

2011 – Lasith Malinga, Mumbai Indians (Wickets – 28, Matches – 16)

CLT20 2012 Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians : News Photo
Lasith Malinga’s slingers have been more than a force to reckon with

Mumbai Indians’ Lasith Malinga broke the jinx for right handed bowlers by winning the Purple Cap in the 2011 season. He took 28 wickets from 16 matches at an economy rate of 5.95 which is considered excellent in T20s.

In fact, in half of the matches, he completed his quota of four overs for less than 25 runs.

His entire repertoire was on display as he foxed the batsmen with lethal yorkers, slower deliveries and bouncers. His best spell came in Mumbai’s first match against the Delhi Daredevils when he took five wickets for 13 runs.

His spell ensured that Delhi was bowled out for a score of less than 100. Incidentally, with 143 wickets, Malinga is also the highest all-time wicket-taker in the IPL.

2012 – Morne Morkel, Delhi Daredevils (Wickets – 25, Matches – 16)

IPL 5: Delhi Daredevils Vs Rajasthan Royals : News Photo
The tall South African played a crucial role in Delhi’s 2012 campaign

2012 was a season in which the Delhi Daredevils were on a roll and one of the reasons for their successful run in the league matches was the form of the tall South African fast-bowler Morne Morkel.

Morkel took 25 wickets from 16 matches and was instrumental in getting the Daredevils to the top of the table after the league matches. His best performance of 4-20 came against the Kings XI Punjab.

He was unable to carry his form to the knockouts and ended up with figures of 0-37 in four overs in the first qualifying match against Kolkata Knight Riders. He was surprisingly left out of the next qualifying match which Delhi lost to Chennai by 86 runs.

2013 – Dwayne Bravo, Chennai Super Kings (Wickets – 32, Matches – 18)

Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings - IPL 2012 : News Photo
The West Indian cricketer holds the record for taking maximum wickets in an IPL season

The champion – Dwayne Bravo was the winner of the coveted Purple Cap in the 2013 season. Till date, his haul of 32 wickets remains the highest for any bowler in a season.

He was handy with the bat too in the tournament and the only thing which eluded him that season was the trophy. Despite his 4-42 (which was his best performance in that season) in the finals against Mumbai Indians, the Super Kings lost by 23 runs.

His spell in the finals had stopped Mumbai’s tail from wagging and it was only a superlative innings from Kieron Pollard which helped Mumbai get to their eventual total of 148.

Bravo is also placed third on the list of all-time IPL wicket-takers. He has 122 wickets from 106 matches and has taken two 4-wicket hauls.

2014 – Mohit Sharma, Chennai Super Kings (Wickets – 23, Matches – 16)

Image result for mohit sharma csk
In 2014, Mohit Sharma became the 3rd Indian bowler to win the Purple Cap

In 2014, Mohit Sharma became the 3rd Indian bowler to win the Purple Cap. He took 23 wickets from 16 matches with one 4-wicket haul.

His best spell of the season came against the Mumbai Indians when he took 4-14. This ensured that Mumbai could manage only 141 runs from 20 overs which the Chennai Super Kings chased easily in 19 overs to win the match by seven wickets.

In the qualifiers, he was unable to fire and went for 46 runs, taking only one wicket. Chennai lost the match by 24 runs and were eliminated from the tournament. Nonetheless, Mohit had ensured the Purple Cap for himself.

2015 – Dwayne Bravo, Chennai Super Kings (Wickets – 26, Matches – 17)

Chennai Super Kings fielder Dwayne Bravo : News Photo
The only player to win two Purple Caps

Dwayne Bravo is the only player to have won the Purple Cap in two different seasons. Repeating his performance from 2013, Bravo won the Purple Cap in the 2015 edition as well. His 26 wickets from 17 matches helped the Chennai Super Kings reach the finals of the tournament. His best figures in the season came against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Defending a paltry score of 134 runs, Chennai were in a spot of bother when Bravo was introduced in the attack. He took three wickets for 22 runs in three overs. He also bowled the final over when KKR needed 17 runs. Bravo conceded 14 runs and thus helped Chennai win the match by two runs.

2016 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sunrisers Hyderabad (Wickets – 23, Matches – 17)

Image result for bhuvneshwar kumar ipl
Destroyer-in-Chief for the Sunrisers in the 2016 edition

By 2016, Bhuvneshwar Kumar had become a regular in the Indian team and had made a name for himself as a bowler who could provide breakthroughs at key moments.

He did just that in the 2016 edition of the IPL, taking 23 wickets from 17 matches and thus winning the Purple Cap. His bowling played a crucial role in Hyderabad’s successful campaign.

Kumar’s best spell came against the Gujarat Lions when he took four wickets for 29 runs. He also had a match-winning spell of 3-19 in the eliminator against Kolkata Knight Riders. It was a result of this spell that Hyderabad won the match by 22 runs.

Although he did not take any wickets in the finals against Royal Challengers Bangalore, he conceded only 25 runs from four overs in an otherwise high-scoring final in which both the teams reached 200.

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Edited by Staff Editor