Top 10 IPL 2024 Purple Cap contenders right now: Harshal Patel takes lead in Purple Cap race; Bumrah and Chahal lag behind

Mayank Yadav IPL debut: The 21-year-old Delhiite made his IPL debut with the Lucknow Super Giants on March 30, 2024. Straightaway, he proved himself with the pace, claiming three scalps - including Jonny Bairstow. Yadav was Player of the Match on debut. (Image credit: Lucknow Super Giants; image source: X/@LucknowIPL)

Harshal Patel shone for RCB, claiming 3 wickets for 38 runs, securing the Purple Cap with a total of 20 wickets in 12 innings.

This achievement positioned Patel ahead of Mumbai Indians' pacer Jasprit Bumrah and Rajasthan Royals' leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Patel's statistics include an average of 23.28 and a strike rate of 10.18.

Bumrah holds 13 wickets with a stronger average of 15.69 and an economy rate of 6.37, while Chahal has an average of 20.38 and an economy rate of 8.83. Delhi Capitals' Kuldeep Yadav took 2/29 against Gujarat Titans, bringing his season total to 12 wickets and ranking him fourth. Sunrisers Hyderabad's T Natarajan also secured 12 wickets, placing him in the top five with two wickets for 39 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Here's a look at the Top 5 Purple Cap 2024 contenders list now:

No fifers so far in the 17th Tata Indian Premier League (IPL), but 11 IPL 2024 matches later, Chennai Super Kings' left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman is still leading the Purple Cap race with best bowling figures of 29/4, followed by India's Harshit Rana (Kolkata Knight Riders) who stunned the opposition and IPL fans by taking the important wickets of Heinrich Klaasen and Shahbaz Ahmed in the final over against the SunRisers Hyderabad on March 24 . Rana's best bowling figures in IPL 2024 so far: 33/3.

To be sure, from now till the IPL 2024 final in Chennai on May 26 - almost two months later - many new records could be made, and much could change.  As with the LSG vs PBKS clash at Lucknow's Ekana Stadium on March 30, things can change overnight. Having said that, here's a look at some of the best bowlers, and bowling figures, in this IPL season:

1. Mustafizur Rahman

After two matches in the ongoing edition, Bangladesh fast-bowler Mustafizur Rahman has picked up six wickets in the first two matches for Chennai Super Kings in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League. The Bangladesh left-arm pacer, known for bowling lethal cutters, returned 4/29 in the opening game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The 28-year-old dismissed big guns Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Rajat Patidar, and Cameron Green before finishing 2/30 against Gujarat Titans on Tuesday (March 26). Rahman got rid of Rashid Khan and the dangerous Rahul Tewatia.

Rahman debuted for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016. It was his best season in the league, as he finished with 17 wickets. Five years later, he picked up 14 wickets while representing Rajasthan Royals. There is a chance that the bowler may topple his own records in the ongoing season.

2-3. Jasprit Bumrah & Kagiso Rabada

Mumbai Indians' Jasprit Bumrah, Punjab Kings' Kagiso Rabada and Sunrisers' T. Natarajan are close contenders for the Purple Cap.
Bumrah returned 3/14 in the opening match against GT, while Rabada had figures of 2/23 against Royal Challengers Bangalore. India left-arm pacer T. Natarajan has been impressive in the first match against Kolkata Knight Riders, where he returned 3/32. Most of the top batters have struggled against Bumrah, Rabada and Natarajan.

Bumrah picked up Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudharshan and David Miller, while Rabada dismissed du Plessis and Green. Natarajan earned the prized wickets of Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer and Rinku Singh.

4. Harpreet Singh

Among the spinners, Punjab Kings' left-arm spin bowler Harpreet Brar has three wickets in three matches. He returned 2/13 at an economy of 3.25 in his four overs against a power-packed RCB batting unit at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on March 25.

5. Mohit Sharma & Bhuvneshwar Kumar

GT pacer Mohit Sharma, known for his death bowling prowess, stands a chance to go on top of the table. He is on three wickets in two outings. In 2014, while playing for Chennai Super Kings, the right-arm pacer won the Purple Cap with 23 wickets.

India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the only bowler to have won the Purple Cap in consecutive years, in 2016 and 2017, while representing the Sunrisers. He picked up 23 wickets, and 26 wickets, respectively.

Purple Cap winners in IPL since 2008

2008: Sohail Tanvir (RR): 22 wickets

2009: RP Singh (Deccan Chargers): 23 wickets

2010: Pragyan Ojha (Deccan Chargers): 21 wickets

2011: Lasith Malinga (MI): 28 wickets

2012: Morne Morkel (DD): 25 wickets

2013: Dwayne Bravo (CSK): 32 wickets

2014: Mohit Sharma (CSK): 23 wickets

2015: Dwayne Bravo (CSK): 26 wickets

2016: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (SRH): 23 wickets

2017: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (SRH): 26 wickets

2018: Andrew Tye (PBKS): 24 wickets

2019: Imran Tahir (CSK): 26 wickets

2020: Kagiso Rabada (DC): 30 wickets

2021: Harshal Patel (RCB): 32 wickets

2022: Yuzvendra Chahal (RR): 27 wickets

2023: Mohammed Shami (GT): 28 wickets