IPL Purple Cap Holders

The concept of awarding the leading wicket-taker with a Purple Cap during a season emerged on 13th May 2008 with the first Purple Cap given on 1st June 2008, which was the conclusion of the very first IPL tournament. IPL Purple Cap is given to bowlers who have taken the Most Wickets, which is calculated after a season ends. If a season is in progress, the leading wicket-taker gets to wear the Purple Cap. As soon as the series concludes, the bowler with most wickets under their belt is then presented with the Cap. If it's a tie between two bowlers towards the end, then the bowler with the best economy rate and the lowest strike rate and Bowling Average becomes the Purple Cap winner.
Fans of this tournament eagerly wait every year for the Purple Cap award announcement at the end of the tournament.

A Detailed Look at the IPL Purple Cap Winners Throughout The Years

There have been 10 IPL Purple Cap winners, from 2008 to 2019, with some bowlers receiving the Cap multiple times.

1. The first Purple Cap was handed out to left-arm Pakistan bowler, Sohail Tanvir in 2008 with 22 wickets playing 11 matches. He played for Rajasthan Royals (RR) at that time, contributing to their victory in the first-ever Indian Premier League. However, he has not been playing in the tournament since 2009 because of his knee injury and the ban against players from Pakistan. Tanvir has only played in the IPL with RR, from 2008 to 2009.
2. In the year of 2009, R.P. Singh received the Purple Cap, playing 16 matches for the now inactive team Deccan Chargers and taking 23 wickets during the season, contributing to their win in the IPL final that year. He played with Deccan Chargers from 2008 to 2010, following which Deccan Chargers went defunct, and Singh then went on to play for four more teams; Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011, with Mumbai Indians in 2012, for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2013 and in 2016 with Rising Pune Supergiants, his final year in IPL.
3. Indian all-rounder Pragyan Ojha's team, the now-inactive Deccan Chargers couldn't qualify for the finals and lost to Chennai Super Kings in the 2010 IPL semi-final. His performance, though, earned him a Purple Cap, for taking the most wickets that season, 21 to be precise, in 16 matches. He played with Deccan Chargers from 2008 to 2011, and then joined Mumbai Indians in 2012, playing with them till 2015. That was his last year in IPL as well. He had a successful career in IPL, with his Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians teammates, Adam Gilchrist and Sachin Tendulkar, praising his work.
4. The fourth Purple Cap in 2011 was received by Sri Lankan fast-paced bowler Lasith Malinga taking 28 wickets in 16 matches, playing for Mumbai Indians. His team, unfortunately, failed to make it to the final that year. He has had a successful career, in and outside IPL. He has played with Mumbai Indians from 2008. Unfortunately, he won't be joining his team in UAE for IPL 2020.
5. The now-retired South African fast bowler Morne Morkel was presented with a Purple Cap in 2012. He played for the Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils) taking 25 wickets in 16 matches. His team could not qualify for the finals that year, losing to Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings in the qualifier stage. He played with the Delhi-based team till 2013 and went on to join Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2014. He played with them for two more years, 2016 being his last year with KKR and IPL.
6. West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo won the Purple Cap twice, once in 2013 and the second time in 2015, playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) both the times by taking 32 and 26 wickets in 18 and 16 matches respectively. Since getting picked up by CSK in 2011, he has always been consistent with his performances as a bowler and batsman, being one of the two players to win the IPL Purple Cap twice. He has also been a successful IPL player, being named in Cricinfo's all-time IPL XI on IPL's 10th anniversary. Even though he continues to be a part of CSK, he will miss a couple of matches in 2020 due to a knee injury.
7. Mohit Sharma, in 2014, got the Cap playing and the Chennai Super Kings, with 23 wickets in 16 matches. He has played with CSK from 2013 to 2015 and then again for a year in 2019. He will be playing with Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020.
8. Fellow Indian Bhuvneshwar Kumar won the Purple Cap consecutively in 2016 and 2017, taking 23 and 26 wickets in 17 and 14 matches respectively, playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) both the times. In 2016, his work contributed to his team winning the IPL trophy. In 2018, owing to his performance, he became the vice-captain of SRH and was also named in Cricinfo's all-time IPL XI. In IPL 2020, he will continue to play for SRH.
9. The right-handed bowler from Australia, Andrew Tye received the Purple Cap in 2018 for 24 wickets playing 14 matches, for the IPL team Kings XI Punjab. His team, unfortunately, couldn't qualify for the playoffs that year. Tye was a part of CSK in 2015 but only got to play in 2017 for, a newly formed team, Gujarat Lions. His stint with them was successful, and his performance was termed as the best debut by a bowler in IPL. He then moved in with Kings XI Punjab the following year. In 2020, however, he will be playing for Rajasthan Royals.
10. Recently in 2019, South African all-rounder Imran Tahir took home the Purple Cap playing for the Chennai Super Kings, taking 26 wickets in 17 matches. Unfortunately, CSK could not win in the IPL final against Mumbai Indians held that year. He will continue to play with Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020 as well.

Currently, the Purple Cap holder is Chennai Super Kings', Imran Tahir, with 26 wickets in the whole tournament, playing 17 matches in total. Imran Tahir is South Africa's lead spinner and was the third-highest wicket-taker for the country, in World Cups, before his retirement in 2019. Despite that, he will still play in the Indian Premier League with Chennai Super Kings in 2020.