There is a common saying in cricket that batters win you matches, while bowlers win you tournaments. The same has been proven correct in the IPL as well. The BCCI also awards the bowler with the most wickets in the tournament with a prestigious Purple Cap.
Several great bowlers of world cricket like Mohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Sohail Tanvir, RP Singh, Lasith Malinga, Andrew Tye, DJ Bravo and several others have won this cap. Eight out of the 10 teams playing in the league have had a Purple Cap winner in their squad of the season, but here’s a list of two teams with zero awards of such color to show.
1. Kolkata Knight Riders have never won a Purple Cap
It might surprise a few fans that the three-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders have never had a single bowler from their squad finish with the highest wickets in a season. KKR have played in all the seasons of the league thus far.
However, somehow none of the KKR bowlers have won this award. This year, Varun CV was quite close to winning it, but in the end, the award went to Harshal Patel, who took 24 wickets for the Punjab Kings.
2. Lucknow Super Giants
Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans joined the IPL in 2022. In three seasons, GT have already won the trophy, Orange Cap, Purple Cap, Fairplay Award, Most Valuable Player and Best Catch of the Season. However, LSG have only won the Best Catch award.
Despite having some quality bowlers in their squad, LSG have never had the highest wicket-taker of the season in their team. It will be interesting to see if that streak ends in 2025.
