The Orange Cap race in IPL 2026 saw a major shift on Wednesday as Virat Kohli moved to the top of the run-scorers list. His crucial knock against Lucknow Super Giants helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru secure a comfortable chase and pushed him ahead in the standings.
Kohli scored 49 off 34 balls at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, taking his season tally to 228 runs. This performance not only guided RCB to victory but also earned him the Orange Cap for the first time this season.
Orange Cap Leaderboard (IPL 2026)
| Rank | Player | Team | Matches | Runs | Avg | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli | RCB | 5 | 228 | 57.00 | 158.33 |
| 2 | Heinrich Klaasen | SRH | 5 | 224 | 44.80 | 142.67 |
| 3 | Rajat Patidar | RCB | 5 | 222 | 55.50 | 213.46 |
| 4 | Ishan Kishan | SRH | 5 | 213 | 42.60 | 190.17 |
| 5 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | RR | 5 | 200 | 40.00 | 263.15 |
| 6 | Shivam Samson | CSK | 5 | 185 | 46.25 | 172.89 |
| 7 | YBK Jaiswal | RR | 5 | 184 | 61.33 | 157.26 |
| 8 | Angkrish Raghuvanshi | KKR | 5 | 182 | 45.50 | 155.55 |
| 9 | Dhruv Jurel | RR | 5 | 176 | 44.00 | 177.77 |
| 10 | Jos Buttler | GT | 4 | 176 | 44.00 | 158.55 |
Kohli’s Impact Role Makes the Difference
Interestingly, this was the first time Kohli featured as an Impact Player for RCB. He was not part of the starting XI when the team opted to bowl first. Despite limited involvement earlier in the game, he delivered when it mattered most during the chase.
Kohli also revealed he had been dealing with knee soreness in the previous match against Mumbai Indians and was not fully fit. Even then, he stepped up with a match-defining innings.
Close Competition at the Top
The Orange Cap race remains tight. Heinrich Klaasen is just four runs behind Kohli, making the competition intense heading into the next round of matches.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar also climbed to third place after a quick 27 off 13 balls. Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi remain the only other players to cross the 200-run mark this season.
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Purple Cap Race Remains Unchanged
While the Orange Cap changed hands, the Purple Cap standings stayed stable. Chennai Super Kings pacer Anshul Kamboj and Gujarat Titans’ Prasidh Krishna continue to lead the wicket charts with ten wickets each.
Ravi Bishnoi and Prince Yadav are close behind with nine wickets, while experienced names like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya are also in contention.
