Purple Cap IPL 2024 after Qualifier 1: Varun Chakaravarthy reduces lead but Harshal Patel in pole position to finish top
Purple Cap IPL 2024 after Qualifier 1: Varun Chakaravarthy is placed at the third spot on the tally with 20 wickets in his kitty.
Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Varun Chakaravarthy reduced the gap in the Purple Cap race with two wickets against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Chakaravarthy's spin still remained a mystery after years as he spun his web around SRH batters in the crucial qualifier 1 to play a pivotal role in KKR's journey to the IPL 2024 final. Chakaravarthy is placed at the third spot on the tally with 20 wickets in his kitty while the players above him Harshal Patel (24) and Jasprit Bumrah's (20) campaigns this season are already over.
Punjab King's seamer Harshal is leading the race with 24 wickets and is the prime contender to win the Purple Cap for the second time. However, Chakaravarthy has a golden chance in the final to pip Harshal and snatch the Cap from him just before the finishing line. Meanwhile, Bumrah, who dominated the tally for weeks, now doesn't have the chance to win their maiden Purple Cap.
Another PBKS paceman, Arshdeep Singh is in the top 5 and currently placed at the fourth spot in the Purple Cap race. He finished the season with 19 wickets which is a good sign for Team India ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Sunrisers Hyderabad left-arm pacer T Natarajan also has an outside chance to grab the purple cap as he is fifth in the tally with 18 wickets and his campaign is not over yet. He will play the eliminator 2 and if the results go in SRH's way he will get another chance in the final to pip others in the lits.
Chennai Super Kings bowler Tushar Deshpande finished with 17 scalps this season. He was the pick of the bowlers for CSK after Matheesha Pathirana and Mustafizur Rahman returned home midway.
Yuzvendra Chahal (17 wickets each) will also have a chance to improve their tally as both will feature in the playoffs.
