The race for the coveted Purple Cap in IPL 2025 is heating up, and Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) replacement player, Shardul Thakur, is making a strong bid for the top spot. After taking 2 wickets for 34 runs against LSG’s Gujarat Titans (GT) in a thrilling match, Thakur now sits at the 2nd spot, just behind Noor Ahmad of Chennai Super Kings (CSK). With his excellent performance in the slog overs, Thakur dismissed Sherfane Rutherford and Rahul Tewatia on consecutive balls, helping LSG restrict GT to a total of 180/6. Despite Gujarat’s openers firing, Thakur’s efforts were instrumental in his team’s victory.
The current standings of the top bowlers in the Purple Cap race are as follows:
| Position | Player | Wickets | Matches | Economy | Average | Best Bowling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noor Ahmad (CSK) | 12 | 6 | 7.90 | 13.16 | 4/18 |
| 2 | Shardul Thakur (LSG) | 11 | 6 | 10.38 | 19.81 | 3/30 |
| 3 | Prasidh Krishna (GT) | 10 | 6 | 6.95 | 16.00 | 3/24 |
| 4 | Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore (GT) | 10 | 6 | 8.47 | 16.80 | 3/30 |
| 5 | Mohammed Siraj (GT) | 10 | 6 | 8.50 | 20.40 | 4/17 |
However, it wasn’t a great day for Gujarat Titans’ bowlers. Mohammed Siraj and Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore missed their chance to claim the Purple Cap after underperforming in their match against Lucknow. Siraj went for 50 runs without taking a wicket, while Kishore was expensive, conceding 35 runs off just 1.3 overs and going wicketless. Their disappointing performances allowed others, like Prasidh Krishna, to move up the leaderboard. Krishna, who took 2 wickets for 26 runs, climbed to the 3rd spot, dismissing openers Aiden Markram and LSG captain Rishabh Pant. Unfortunately for GT, they lost to LSG by 6 wickets.
Harshal Patel continues to shine, securing his place in the top 15 with 4 wickets for 42 runs. Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh also made an impact by taking the wicket of the explosive Abhishek Sharma, who had scored a brilliant 141 from 55 balls. Singh’s efforts placed him 16th in the rankings.
Looking ahead, IPL fans can expect more thrilling action as Hardik Pandya of Mumbai Indians, along with Mitchell Starc and Kuldeep Yadav from Delhi Capitals (DC), will be looking to break into the top five. Also, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) pacer Josh Hazlewood has a chance to make his mark in the upcoming clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
