This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Sunil Narine to Ravichandran Ashwin: Five IPL stars who never won Purple Cap, No. 5 will shock you
Sunil Narine to Jasprit Bumrah, here are 5 legendary IPL bowlers who never won the Purple Cap despite years of dominance.
Last Updated on - March 19, 2026 4:15 PM IST
Top 5 IPL stars without a purple cap
Many of the greatest bowlers in IPL history have topped the wicket charts at least once. But a surprising number of true legends have taken wickets year after year without ever finishing a single season as the number one wicket-taker (Purple Cap winners).
Here are the big names from the list who have never lifted the Purple Cap:
1. Sunil Narine
The KKR mystery spinner is probably the most “expensive” bowler to never win the cap, not in runs, but in value.
Narine often misses out because teams choose to block him rather than attack him. With his incredible career economy rate (around 7.96), he puts huge pressure on batters, which helps the bowler at the other end take wickets.
2. Piyush Chawla
Chawla is the ultimate IPL workhorse. He has been playing since the very first season in 2008 and has outlasted almost everyone.
He has been a consistent top-10 performer across his time with PBKS, KKR, and MI. But he has never had that one big explosive season with 25 plus wickets needed to win the Purple Cap.
3. Ravichandran Ashwin
The master tactician treats T20 bowling like chess. Ashwin’s main aim is often to squeeze the opposition in the Powerplay or middle overs.
Because he focuses more on variations and containment rather than hunting wickets, his tally stays high through long-term consistency rather than one massive season.
4. Ravindra Jadeja
Jadeja was often used by CSK as a defensive specialist on turning pitches. He bowls his four overs so quickly that batters barely get time to think, let alone plan an attack.
This dart-in style makes him one of the most economical bowlers in IPL history, but it rarely produces the big 4-wicket hauls needed to top the season wicket list.
5. Jasprit Bumrah
It is one of the biggest IPL surprises that the world’s best fast bowler has never won the Purple Cap. Like Narine, Bumrah is often a victim of his own brilliance, players prefer to take zero runs off his over rather than risk losing a wicket.
He famously took 27 wickets in 2020 but was beaten by Kagiso Rabada’s 30.
Also Read: Virat Kohli leads elite list of 5 players with 100+ catches in IPL history