Harshal Patel, the Punjab Kings seamer, extended his lead in the Purple Cap race with two wickets against Sunrisers Hyderabad in his team’s final league stage match of the season. Patel’s victims were Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Reddy, but Punjab ultimately lost the match by four wickets. Despite the loss, Patel finished his season with a remarkable 24 scalps, making him the frontrunner for the Purple Cap award for the second time in his career.
Jasprit Bumrah, who finished the season in second place with 20 wickets, will have to wait another year for his chance to win the coveted prize. Punjab Kings’ Arshdeep Singh also impressed, claiming two wickets against SRH to move into third place in the Purple Cap race. His tally of 19 wickets bodes well for Team India ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Varun Chakaravarthy, despite not bowling in the last couple of matches due to washouts, remains in the top five with 18 wickets in 12 matches. The mystery spinner has been a key performer for two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders and has been the go-to bowler for Shreyas Iyer this season.
Chennai Super Kings’ Tushar Deshpande finished the season with 17 scalps, leading the Chennai bowling attack after Matheesha Pathirana and Mustafizur Rahman returned home midway through the tournament. T Natarajan and Yuzvendra Chahal, also with 17 wickets each, have an opportunity to improve their tally as both will feature in the playoffs.
Bumrah was the standout bowler for Mumbai Indians, impressing with his ability to control the scoring rate of the opposition. The four teams that have qualified for the IPL 2024 Playoffs are Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
