Who Is IPL 2026 Top Scorer
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of Rajasthan Royals was the top scorer of IPL 2026, finishing with 776 runs in 16 matches and winning the Orange Cap. Shubman Gill of Gujarat Titans was second with 732 runs and Sai Sudharsan, also of Gujarat Titans, was third with 722 runs. The 2026 season is over: Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Gujarat Titans in the final on 31 May 2026 to retain the title.
The question of who topped the IPL 2026 run charts has a clear, final answer. This was not a season that ended in a tight race decided on the last day. Sooryavanshi finished 44 runs ahead of Gill, and the two Gujarat Titans openers who could have caught him were dismissed cheaply in the final. The Orange Cap stayed with the teenager from Rajasthan Royals, who had led the chart for most of the season and produced one of the most extraordinary batting campaigns in IPL history.
IPL 2026 Orange Cap: Final Top 10 Run-Scorers
| Rank | Player | Team | Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | Rajasthan Royals | 16 | 776 | 48.50 | 237.30 | 103 |
| 2 | Shubman Gill | Gujarat Titans | 16 | 732 | 45.75 | 163.02 | 104 |
| 3 | Sai Sudharsan | Gujarat Titans | 17 | 722 | 45.13 | 157.98 | 100 |
| 4 | Virat Kohli | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 16 | 675 | 56.25 | 165.84 | 105 not out |
| 5 | Heinrich Klaasen | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 15 | 624 | 48.00 | 160.00 | 69 |
| 6 | Ishan Kishan | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 15 | 602 | — | 182.42 | — |
| 7 | KL Rahul | Delhi Capitals | — | 593 | — | 174.41 | — |
| 8 | Abhishek Sharma | Sunrisers Hyderabad | — | 563 | — | 206.22 | — |
| 9 | Mitchell Marsh | Lucknow Super Giants | — | 563 | — | 163.18 | — |
| 10 | Jos Buttler | Gujarat Titans | — | 526 | — | 152.46 | — |
The runs, strike rates and team details above are the final Orange Cap standings for IPL 2026. The top six positions are confirmed in full. Sooryavanshi, Gill and Sudharsan were the only three batters to pass 700 runs in the season, and Kohli was the only other batter to pass 650.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: 776 Runs and the Orange Cap
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 776 runs came in 16 matches at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 237.30. He scored one century, with a highest score of 103, and five half-centuries. Those numbers alone would make a fine season for any batter. What makes them extraordinary is the strike rate: 237.30 is far higher than any other Orange Cap winner’s strike rate, and it reflects a batting style built entirely around attack.
Sooryavanshi faced only 327 deliveries for his 776 runs. He hit 72 sixes, which broke the previous IPL record of 59 sixes in a single season, set by Chris Gayle in 2012. He cleared the ropes once every 4.31 balls, compared with Gayle’s rate of one six every 7.73 balls in his record season. He also scored 521 of his 776 runs in the powerplay, the highest powerplay run aggregate by any batter in a single IPL season. Rajasthan Royals often had matches won within the first six overs, and Sooryavanshi was the reason.
Sooryavanshi also became the youngest player to win the Orange Cap in IPL history, and he was named both the Emerging Player of the Season and the Most Valuable Player of the Season. His century came off only 36 balls, which is among the fastest centuries in IPL history. In Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans, he became the youngest player and the quickest by balls faced to reach 1,000 IPL runs, doing it in only 440 deliveries.
Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan: The Gujarat Titans Pair
Shubman Gill finished second with 732 runs from 16 matches at an average of 45.75 and a strike rate of 163.02, with a highest score of 104. Sai Sudharsan finished third with 722 runs from 17 matches at an average of 45.13 and a strike rate of 157.98, with a highest score of 100. Both batters scored centuries during the season, and both were central to Gujarat Titans reaching the final.
Gill and Sudharsan were the only two batters who could have caught Sooryavanshi on the final day. Before the final, Gill needed 45 runs and Sudharsan needed 55 runs to pass him. Neither came close. Gill was dismissed for 10 by Josh Hazlewood, and Sudharsan was dismissed for 12 by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, both inside the powerplay. Their failures at the top ensured that Sooryavanshi’s total survived, and it was a fitting end to the Orange Cap race: the two challengers were stopped by the bowling attack of the eventual champions.
Virat Kohli: 675 Runs and a Final-Winning Innings
Virat Kohli finished fourth with 675 runs from 16 matches at an average of 56.25 and a strike rate of 165.84, with a highest score of 105 not out. His average was the highest among the top ten run-scorers, which reflects how consistently he scored and how often he finished not out. Kohli’s season was not about chasing the Orange Cap; it was about winning the title, and he saved his best for the final.
In the final against Gujarat Titans, Kohli scored 75 not out off 42 balls, with nine fours and three sixes, and was named Player of the Match. It was his fastest IPL fifty, reached off 25 balls, and his highest score in an IPL playoff match. He anchored the chase after Royal Challengers Bengaluru lost early wickets, and he hit the winning runs with a six. At 37, Kohli produced one of the great final innings in IPL history.
Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan and the Rest of the Top 10
Heinrich Klaasen finished fifth with 624 runs from 15 matches at an average of 48.00 and a strike rate of 160.00. Ishan Kishan was sixth with 602 runs at a strike rate of 182.42. Both batted for Sunrisers Hyderabad, whose top order was one of the most aggressive in the league. Kishan’s strike rate was the second-highest among the top ten, behind only Sooryavanshi.
KL Rahul finished seventh with 593 runs for Delhi Capitals at a strike rate of 174.41. Abhishek Sharma of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mitchell Marsh of Lucknow Super Giants tied on 563 runs each, with Abhishek striking at 206.22, the second-highest strike rate in the top ten. Jos Buttler of Gujarat Titans completed the top ten with 526 runs at a strike rate of 152.46. The depth of this list — ten batters above 500 runs — shows how batting-friendly the 2026 season was.
IPL 2026 Final: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Retain the Title
The IPL 2026 final was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 31 May 2026. Gujarat Titans batted first and scored 155/8 from their 20 overs, with Washington Sundar top-scoring with 50 not out. Rasikh Salam took 3/27 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 2/29 and Josh Hazlewood took 2/37. Gujarat’s top order collapsed: Gill fell for 10, Sudharsan for 12, and the Titans were 99/5 at the start of the 15th over.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased the target down in 18 overs, reaching 161/5. Venkatesh Iyer scored a rapid 32 off 16 balls and shared a 62-run opening partnership with Kohli. Rashid Khan took 2/25 for Gujarat Titans, but Kohli’s unbeaten 75 guided Bengaluru home with two overs to spare. The five-wicket victory gave Royal Challengers Bengaluru their second consecutive IPL title, making them only the third team to successfully defend the trophy. It took them 18 years to win their first title; they needed no time at all to win their second.
IPL 2026 Award Winners
The end-of-season awards reflected the dominance of the top run-scorer and the champions. Sooryavanshi won the Orange Cap, the Emerging Player of the Season award, the Most Valuable Player award, the Super Striker of the Season award and the Super Sixes of the Season award. Kagiso Rabada of Gujarat Titans won the Purple Cap with 29 wickets, ahead of Bhuvneshwar Kumar with 28 and Jofra Archer with 25. Kohli was named Player of the Match in the final, Sai Sudharsan won the award for the most fours of the season, Mohammed Siraj bowled the most dot balls, Manish Pandey took the Catch of the Season, and Punjab Kings won the Fair Play Award.
Sooryavanshi’s clean sweep of the batting awards is unprecedented for a teenager. The Orange Cap has been won by many great batters since Shaun Marsh won the first one in 2008, including Sachin Tendulkar, Chris Gayle, David Warner, Virat Kohli, Jos Buttler, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, who won it in 2025. None of them won it at Sooryavanshi’s age, and none of them won it at anything like his strike rate.
How Sooryavanshi’s Season Compares With Past Orange Cap Winners
Sooryavanshi’s 776 runs are the fourth-highest total by an Orange Cap winner in IPL history, behind Virat Kohli’s 973 runs in 2016, Shubman Gill’s 890 runs in 2023 and Jos Buttler’s 863 runs in 2022. What sets Sooryavanshi apart is not the total but the speed: his strike rate of 237.30 is far higher than any previous winner’s, and his 72 sixes are 13 more than the previous record.
The other difference is age. Previous Orange Cap winners were established internationals in their prime. Sooryavanshi won the award as a teenager, in only his second IPL season, while opening the batting for a team that did not reach the final. His season was not a product of a strong team carrying him; it was a case of one batter carrying his team’s scoring almost single-handedly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the top scorer in IPL 2026?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of Rajasthan Royals was the top scorer in IPL 2026, with 776 runs in 16 matches, and he won the Orange Cap.
How many runs did Vaibhav Sooryavanshi score in IPL 2026?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 776 runs in 16 matches at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 237.30, including one century and five half-centuries.
Who won IPL 2026?
Royal Challengers Bengaluru won IPL 2026, beating Gujarat Titans by five wickets in the final on 31 May 2026. Virat Kohli scored 75 not out and was named Player of the Match.
Who won the Purple Cap in IPL 2026?
Kagiso Rabada of Gujarat Titans won the Purple Cap in IPL 2026 with 29 wickets, ahead of Bhuvneshwar Kumar with 28 and Jofra Archer with 25.
Who won the Orange Cap in IPL 2025?
Sai Sudharsan of Gujarat Titans won the Orange Cap in IPL 2025 with 617 runs, before finishing third in the IPL 2026 run charts with 722 runs.
What is the record for most sixes in an IPL season?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi holds the record for the most sixes in an IPL season, with 72 sixes in IPL 2026, breaking Chris Gayle’s previous record of 59 sixes in 2012.