Kohli needs 78 in Qualifier 1 to grab IPL 2025 Orange Cap
Both Josh Hazlewood and Arshdeep Singh have a chance to get closer to the IPL 2025 Purple Cap table-toppers in Qualifier 1
ESPNcricinfo staff
29-May-2025
There are just four games left for the end of IPL 2025. The league stage is done, the playoffs are here, and that means the race for the Orange and Purple Caps are also nearing the finish line. Here's a look at the players in contention.
The top three run-getters of the season - B Sai Sudharsan (679), Shubman Gill (649) and Suryakumar Yadav (640) - could have anywhere between one and three games to play - the winners of the Eliminator between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Mumbai Indians (MI), will play Qualifier 2, and if they win that, they play the final.
Virat Kohli, currently fifth with 602 runs, could also have three chances to add to his tally, but that's only if Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lose Qualifier 1 to Punjab Kings (PBKS). If RCB win Thursday's Qualifier, then he will only have the final remaining. He needs 78 runs on Thursday to move to No. 1, not beyond him, since he has eight half-centuries this season already and is averaging 60.20.
Shreyas Iyer (514) and Prabhsimran Singh (499) are other PBKS players who have an opportunity to climb up the tables through their playoff campaigns, although the Orange Cap appears a bit too far to grab.
Of the players currently in the top ten, Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Yashasvi Jaiswal of Rajasthan Royals (RR) and KL Rahul of Delhi Capitals (DC) are done for the tournament, with their teams out of contention, while GT's Jos Buttler has left to join the England ODI team.
The Purple Cap is currently with Noor Ahmad (24) of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), but his season is done. That gives Prasidh Krishna (23) a clear path to get the Purple Cap in the Eliminator itself. His chances get better the longer GT stay alive, as he could potentially feature in three of the remaining four games.
Similarly, Trent Boult (19) of MI, could have three opportunities to take the Purple Cap depending on how far his team progresses. Like GT, MI could feature in three of the four remaining games.
Josh Hazlewood - who has played four games fewer than Noor, Prasidh and Boult - and is returning from an injury, has 18 wickets, the same as Arshdeep Singh. While both Hazlewood and Arshdeep could play three more games, the player who finishes on the winning side in Qualifier 1 will get one fewer match since that team will go directly into the final.
Jasprit Bumrah and R Sai Kishore, both on 17 wickets, have a chance to climb up the tally too.
Here's what ESPNcricinfo's MVP table looks like moving into the last four games of the season.
And here are some other IPL 2025 tables that show the season's best performers in different aspects of the T20 game.