Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stormed into the IPL 2026 final with a crushing 92-run victory over Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 1 at the HPCA Stadium on Tuesday but the tournament’s individual leaderboards remain wide open heading into the final week of the season.
While RCB sealed a direct berth in the May 31 final, Gujarat’s opening pair continue to dominate the Orange Cap standings, and the Purple Cap race has now developed into one of the closest bowling contests in recent IPL history.
Sai Sudharsan crosses 650-run mark in Orange Cap race
Despite Gujarat’s heavy defeat, Sai Sudharsan tightened his grip on the Orange Cap after another consistent outing took his tally to 652 runs for the season.
The Gujarat opener now sits comfortably ahead of captain Shubman Gill, who occupies second place with 618 runs. Both batters have now registered back-to-back 600-run IPL seasons, underlining Gujarat’s batting dominance throughout the campaign. The chasing pack, however, is still firmly in contention.
Heinrich Klaasen has accumulated 606 runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Virat Kohli has reached the 600-run mark for Royal Challengers Bengaluru after another prolific season. With Kohli already through to the final and Klaasen playing a maxium of 3 more matches, pressure is mounting on Gujarat’s top order heading into Qualifier 2 to get their team off to a great start and in in the process bag the Orange Cap.
Top run-scorers after Qualifier 1
- Sai Sudharsan (GT)- 652 runs
- Shubman Gill (GT)- 618 runs
- Heinrich Klaasen (SRH)- 606 runs
- Virat Kohli (RCB)- 600 runs
- KL Rahul (DC)- 593 runs
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kagiso Rabada tied on 26 wickets
If the Orange Cap race remains tense, the Purple Cap battle has become even tighter.
Both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kagiso Rabada picked up two wickets each during Qualifier 1, leaving the pair locked together at 26 wickets apiece.
Bhuvneshwar currently holds the Purple Cap due to his superior economy rate of 8.00 compared to Rabada’s 9.60, but with Gujarat still alive in the tournament and RCB already through to the final, the race could easily go down to the final match of IPL 2026.
Jofra Archer remains within touching distance in third place with 21 wickets and could still enter the equation if Rajasthan Royals make a deep playoff run.
Top wicket-takers after Qualifier 1
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB)0- 26 wickets | Economy: 8.00
- Kagiso Rabada (GT)- 26 wickets | Economy: 9.60
- Jofra Archer (RR)- 21 wickets | Economy: 8.76
- Anshul Kamboj (CSK)- 21 wickets | Economy: 10.60
- Rashid Khan (GT)- 19 wickets | Economy: 8.92
The leaderboard could shift again in Wednesday’s Eliminator clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals, with Klaasen and Archer both still firmly in contention for individual honours heading into the business end of the tournament.