IPL: All the Purple Cap winners from 2008-18

Presently, T20 has completely become a game of the batsmen with grounds being smaller along with the reduction in the pace of the bowlers. However, the Indian Premier League is a kind of tournament which has remained aside from this fact by providing benefits to the bowlers as well.

The IPL became a huge success in its inaugural year 2008 only because of the new 8 teams based on the states of India and the 2 unique caps as the awards. Orange and Purple Caps were the two awards which grabbed attention when they were introduced in IPL in the year 2008.

The bowler who picked the most wickets in the entire season of IPL was awarded the Purple Cap. The player who holds the Purple Cap at a period in the tournament is also allowed to wear it during the matches during which he is the leading wicket-taker. At the end of the tournament, the leading wicket-taker is rewarded a stunning Purple Cap.

So far, 9 players have won this award in the history of the Indian Premier League. Such players who have achieved this feat from 2008 to 2018 are:

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#1 Sohail Tanvir (Rajasthan Royals, 2008)

Sohail Tanvir won the first purple cap in the history of IPL.

The inaugural season of Indian Premier League was the only season which also featured the Pakistani players. Later on from 2009, the Pakistani players were not allowed to participate in IPL. However, the year 2008 remained as one of the most memorable ones for some Pakistani players like Sohail Tanvir.

Tanvir played the first season for Rajasthan based franchise known as Rajasthan Royals. He stunned the fans in the first season itself with his quick swinging yorkers at the death. He proved to be a major bowling star for Rajasthan along with Shane Warne.

Tanvir picked up 22 wickets from 11 matches and went home with the Purple Cap as he was the leading wicket-taker of that season.

#2 RP Singh (Deccan Chargers, 2009)

Deccan Chargers v Kolkata Knight Riders - IPL T20

Rudra Pratap Singh brought a revolutionary change in the history of Indian cricket with his swinging left arm fast bowling. His in-swinging deliveries were unplayable even for the then best batsmen of the world. He continued to show his form in the IPL also since he debuted for Deccan Chargers in 2008.

RP Singh proved his worth in the Deccan line-up by being their top bowler during the 2nd edition of IPL which took place in the year 2009. He played the total of 16 matches for his franchise in that season in which he grabbed 23 wickets.

He gave runs at the economy rate of just 6.98 which proved that he was a top-class bowler. He ended the 2009 IPL by being the best bowler of the tournament.

#3 Pragyan Ojha (Deccan Chargers, 2010)

Pragyan Ojha became the 2nd bowler from Deccan Chargers to win a purple cap in IPL.

Pragyan Ojha made his IPL debut for Deccan Chargers in the year 2008 itself. He was bought by the franchise pertaining to his majestic left-arm spin bowling wonders which he created at the domestic level.

Ojha made sure that the money invested in him by the franchise did not go in vain by performing consistently for them. He won the hearts of the fans as he grabbed the Purple Cap at the end of the IPL 2010 for his 21 wickets that season.

#4 Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians, 2011)

Malinga in action

Mumbai Indians grabbed the eyes of the whole world ahead of the Indian Premier League itself as they bought the skillful Lasith Malinga in the auction. Malinga has been mostly known for his unique action along with slow in swinging yorkers at the death. Even the best batsmen of the time used to fear while facing the bowling of Malinga during his golden days.

Nicknamed Slinga, Malinga has played the total of 10 out of 11 seasons of IPL for the Mumbai Indians. Malinga created various wonders for his side with his bowling efforts in each IPL season. However, the 4th edition of IPL remained as the best one for Malinga.

He bagged the total of 28 wickets in that season which is the second-best performance by a bowler in the history of IPL after Dwayne Bravo. He also won the Purple Cap award for his outstanding bowling performance in that season.

#5 Morne Morkel (Delhi Daredevils, 2012)

Morne Morkel played for Delhi Daredevils from 2011-2013.

Delhi Daredevils as a franchise has remained as the unluckiest one in the history of IPL so far. They have not lifted the IPL trophy for a single time in the 11 seasons played so far. In spite of having top class players in the team, they have failed to qualify for even a single final.

One of the main reasons behind this is the lack of the team effort in the Delhi squad. Apart from 4 to 5 players, the rest of the players never performed up to their mark which created a problem for the entire team. Morne Morkel was one such player from Delhi’s squad who tried his best to bring the trophy for them in 2012.

He picked up the total of 25 wickets during the IPL 2012 but his team crashed out of the play-off stages. However, he ended the season as the Purple Cap winner by remaining the best bowler of the tournament.

#6 Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings, 2013)

Dwayne Bravo won his first purple cap in the year 2013.

Chennai Super Kings has been the most successful team in all the seasons of Indian Premier League which have taken place so far. One of the main reasons behind it is their line-up which is filled with stars in all the departments. That’s the main reason why they have remained as the most consistent team in the history of IPL so far.

Dwayne Bravo is also one star player from CSK side who has done wonders in the IPL with his extraordinary skills and talent. He can take the game away from the opposition at any time with his batting, bowling and even with mind-boggling fielding. His all-around performance is one of the main strengths of the squad.

Referring to his bowling, Bravo won his first purple cap in the year 2013 with a total of 32 wickets which is by far the highest by any bowler in any single IPL season.

#7 Mohit Sharma (Chennai Super Kings, 2014)

Mohit Sharma receiving his purple cap award during the award ceremony of IPL 2014.

Chennai Super Kings has been fortunate enough to have top class domestic bowlers in their side in each season of IPL so far. One of the main reasons behind it is the mastermind of captain MS Dhoni. He knows which player to buy during the auction and trade period which later on turns out to be the best bid of the season.

The credit of Mohit Sharma’s success in IPL must also go to Dhoni only. He was the only person who backed Mohit during his struggling period as he had the faith in him. Mohit also ensured that the money invested in him by his franchise did not go in vain as he proved to be the best bowler of CSK in the year 2014.

Mohit picked the total of 23 wickets in 16 matches and emerged as the leading wicket-taker of that season.

#8 Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings, 2015)

Dwayne Bravo won his 2nd purple cap of IPL in the year 2015.

The all-rounder from West Indies, Dwayne Bravo, has proved to be a magical player for Chennai Super Kings. He has even become famous for his unique way of celebrating a wicket by dancing on the field. With this, he became a trendsetter as various other cricketers also started following this after him.

The slower balls released from the hand of Bravo were the most difficult one for the batsmen to judge. And, the slower balls were his main go to balls when he faced difficulty in getting wickets.

He has won the Purple Cap for a total of 2 times in IPL, a feat which no other overseas cricketer has achieved so far. He won his second Purple Cap in the year 2015 with a total of 24 wickets in just 16 matches.

#9 and #10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2016 and 2017)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has won the purple cap for 2 consecutive years in IPL.

The fast bowler from Uttar Pradesh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has turned out to be the star bowler for the Hyderabad franchise in the IPL over the last few years. He has been the main strike bowler for the Sunrisers Hyderabad since his debut season for them.

Nicknamed Bhuvi, Bhuvneshwar won his first purple cap of IPL in the year 2016 after picking up a total of 23 wickets in just 17 matches.

Bhuvneshwar showcased his outstanding bowling talent during the 9th and 10th edition of IPL which took place in the years 2016 and 2017, respectively. In both the seasons, he emerged out as the best bowler of the tournament. So far, he is the only player to win 2 consecutive purple caps in the history of Indian Premier League.

Bhuvneshwar grabbed the total of 26 wickets during the 10th edition of IPL which remained as the highest by any bowler in that season.

#11 Andrew Tye (Kings XI Punjab, 2018)

Andrew Tye played for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL 2018.

Kings XI Punjab has been an unlucky team in the history of IPL for not winning the trophy in spite of having several big names in their side. During the previous edition of IPL, they had the big guns in the likes of Chris Gayle, KL Rahul, Andrew Tye in their side yet failed to even qualify for the playoffs.

Andrew Tye proved to be the best bowler of the tournament as he grabbed the attention of the fans by emerging as the Purple Cap winner from that tournament. His presence mattered the lot for his side as he won the game for his side with his vital bowling performances.

Tye picked 24 wickets from his 14 matches which rewarded him with the award of the Purple Cap at the end of the season.