Ishan Malinga (Photo Courtesy: IPL)

New Delhi: Ishan Malinga continued his stellar form in IPL 2026 and moved to the top of the Purple Cap standings after a disciplined performance for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.The young fast bowler took 1 for 29 in his four overs and maintained an economy rate of 7.20 in the high-scoring encounter, where Mumbai posted 243/5 with the help of Ryan Rickelton’s unbeaten 123. Malinga’s only success – the prized wicket of Suryakumar Yadav – proved crucial, helping him move into the race for the tournament’s leading wicket-taker.With this performance, Malinga took his tally of wickets this season to 15, leaving behind the group of bowlers who had the same tally of 14 wickets. He secured the top position by defeating Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jofra Archer and Anshul Kamboj.Bhuvneshwar is currently in second place among the combined trio with 14 wickets thanks to a better economy rate of 7.61. Archer is at third place with an economy of 8.27, while Kamboj is at fourth place with 8.56.Competition remains tight just below the top four. Lucknow Super Giants’ Prince Yadav is at fifth position with 13 wickets, having overtaken Kagiso Rabada on the basis of a better economy rate of 8.06 compared to Rabada’s 9.48.Next on the list, Rabada’s teammate Prasidh Krishna has 12 wickets, while Ravi Bishnoi is next with 11 wickets. Mohsin Khan and Krunal Pandya are in the top 10 with nine wickets each.As the league stage progresses, the race for the Purple Cap is shaping up to be a close contest with just a few wickets remaining between the leading contenders.

Latest IPL 2026 Purple Cap Standings