IPL 2025: Top Bowlers Who Can Win the Purple Cap This Season?

The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League is just around the corner, with two days remaining for the season opener. The IPL has been challenging for the bowlers so far due to the favourable conditions for the batters to score runs, which is getting even more favourable season by season. But even in these headwinds, few bowlers have left their mark by giving their best performance and sending a lot of batters back to the pavilion. So, in this article, we will discuss who could be that bowler in the upcoming IPL 2025 who will win the Purple Cap by taking the most cricket in the season. 

The upcoming edition of Indian Premier League IPL 2025 will be starting on 22nd March with the match between defending Champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The season will span over 2 months, and each team will be playing 14 matches in the season, 7 away matches, and 7 Home matches; the IPL 2025 season will end with the finals on 25th May at the same time as Eden Gardens.

Varun Chakravarty

Varun Chakravarti is the mystery spinner and has established himself as one of the most difficult spinners to play against in the Indian Premier League. Varun, after joining the India squad for the Champions Trophy due to Jasprit Bumrah’s injury, played a very important and crucial role in India's victory. Some cricket experts even refer to him as the best bowler from the Indian side in the tournament.

 In previous seasons, batters have constantly struggled to face his mystery spin. Last season, he played 14 matches and took 21 wickets, becoming one of the best bowlers of the season. In the 71 matches played in the IPL, he has taken 83 wickets, with an economy of 7.56 and an average of 25.12.

Jasprit Bumrah 

Jaspreet Bumrah, the star Indian cricketer and the front-line pacer of Mumbai Indians, is one of the biggest contenders to take the most number of wickets in the upcoming IPL 2025. Bumrah, who is often referred to as the modern-day great best bowler of the current generation, is known for crushing yorkers and super economical death bowling. Bumrah has been a nightmare for the opponents since he started playing for the Mumbai Indians and is expected to perform at the same level in the upcoming season. Bumrah got injured in the Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia and is expected to join Mumbai Indians in the first couple of weeks of the season.

In the 133 matches played in IPL, he has taken 165 wickets with an economy of 7.30 and an average of 22.53. He will be one of the strongest contenders to win the Papa cap in the upcoming IPL 2025.

Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel, the two-time Purple Cap holder, is known for his death bowling and is one of the biggest contenders to win the Purple Cap race in the upcoming season. He has already won the Purple cap twice, first in IPL 2021, taking 32 wickets when playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and last season, taking 24 wickets when playing for Punjab Kings. This year, he will be playing with Sunrisers Hyderabad and will aim for another great season.

In the 105 matches played in the IPL, Harshal Patel has taken 135 wickets, with an economy of 8.74 and an average of 23.33. After two purple caps so far, he is a strong contender to win the Purple Cap in the upcoming season too.

Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan, who is undoubtedly one of the best spinners in modern-day cricket, is another strong contender to win the Purple Cap in the upcoming season. In the last decade playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans, he has proved his worth multiple times by bowling consistently and giving match-winning performances regularly. With his googlies and unpredictable deliveries, it's no less than a nightmare for the batter who is facing him. In his best season, which was IPL 2023, he took 27 wickets with an economy of 8.24, while he had an average IPL 2025 season and is expected to make a strong comeback in the upcoming season. 

In the 121 matches played in the IPL, he has taken 149 wickets, with an economy of 6.82 and an average of 21.83. He will be one of the most dangerous bowlers to face and one of the strongest contenders to take the most wickets in the upcoming season for Gujarat Titans.

IPL 2025: Full Schedule

Also Read: India A to Play Two Four-Day Matches Before England Test; Senior Players in Contention