The bowlers have played a very important role in the success of the Indian Playerzpot League over the last several years. Over the last 16 seasons, the tournament has witnessed many extraordinary bowling performances, with some of them leaving ineffaceable marks by taking the most wickets in the tournament’s history. Fans go wild and ecstatic whenever the bowler takes the wicket. Bowlers have always played an instrumental role in the team’s success and have showcased their skills against the best batsmen in the world.
Purple Cap is one of the prestigious awards in the Indian Playerzpot League and it is given to a bowler who has taken the most number of the wickets at the end of every season. However, during the course of the season, The Purple Cap gets passed from one player to another player based on the number of wickets they have taken. The current holder of the Purple Cap wears it in order to signify their standing as the highest wicket-taker. At the end of the season, the Purple Cap is officially given to the bowler who has the most wickets.
Here’s the updated list of bowlers in the race for Purple Cap
#5 V Chakravarthy (Kolkata): V Chakravarthy has been one of the most improved bowlers from the previous season of the Indian Playerzpot League. The 32-year-old performed really well this season and is currently the fifth-leading wicket-taker of the season, scalping 20 wickets, including a four-wicket, at an average of 21.45 and an economy rate of 8.14 in 14 matches. His best bowling figures of the season (4/15) came against Bangalore. It is just the second season where he has scalped 20 wickets. Chakravarthy is often considered a ‘mysterious’ spinner who often left the batsmen bamboozled with his spin bowling. Many weren’t expecting V Chakravarthy to perform so well as compared to the previous season where he scalped just six wickets from 11 games.
#4 P Chawla (Mumbai): After missing out on the previous season of the Indian Playerzpot League, P Chawla has made a great comeback this season. The 34-year-old is the lead bowler for Mumbai. Currently, Chawla is the fourth wicket-taker of the season, scalping 20 wickets at an average of 21.10 and an economy rate of 7.81 in 14 matches. His best bowling figures of the season (3/22) came against Delhi. For the first time, P Chawla has managed to take more than 20 wickets in the single season of the Indian Playerzpot League. P Chawla has been carrying the burden of taking wickets for Mumbai as they have an average bowling attack thus far in the tournament. P Chawla will look to take more wickets to ensure that he ends his season with a Purple Cap.
#3 Y Chahal (Rajasthan): Y Chahal had another best season in the Indian Playerzpot League 2023. Since Rajasthan is out of the tournament, Chahal’s dream of winning another Purple Cap has been shattered. Currently, the 32-year-old is the third-highest wicket-taker of the season, scalping 21 wickets, including three four-wicket hauls, at an average of 20.57 and an economy rate of 8.17 in 14 matches. His bowling figures of the season (4/17) against Hyderabad. Last year, Y Chahal was the just third spinner to take home the Purple Cap. Moreover, Chahal overtook D Bravo’s tally of 183 wickets to become the leading wicket-taker in the history of the Indian Playerzpot League. His tally stands at 187 wickets in 145 matches. Undoubtedly, Y Chahal has been one of the best bowlers over the last few seasons.
#2 R Khan (Gujarat): R Khan remains to be one of the spinners since his Indian Playerzpot League debut in 2017. The 24-year-old is among the strong contenders for Purple Cap as he is currently the second-leading wicket-taker of the season. R Khan has scalped 24 wickets, including a four-wicket haul, at an average of 18.25 and an economy rate of 7.82 in 14 matches. His best bowling figures of the season (4/30) came against Mumbai. It is the third season where he has managed to take 20 wickets. R Khan is a versatile bowler who can take wickets in any condition. He is already hailed as one of the best overseas bowlers in the tournament. R Khan is expected to leave no stone unturned to take more wickets and take home the Purple Cap.
#1 M Shami (Gujarat): M Shami is having yet another great season with the Gujarat team in the Indian Playerzpot League. The 32-year-old has been the lead pacer for the side since the last edition of the tournament. M Shami is currently the highest wicket-taker of the season, aggregating 24 wickets, including two four-wicket hauls, at an average of 17.66 and an economy rate of 7.70 in 14 matches. His best bowling figures of the season as well as in the tournament came against Delhi (4/11). Shami has bettered his tally of wickets compared to the previous 10 seasons of the Indian Playerzpot League. M Shami has been consistently performing well in the last five seasons. M Shami is putting every effort to ensure that remains on the top of the chart and takes home the Purple Cap.
