Updated · June 3, 2026 · FINAL STANDINGS · SEASON COMPLETE
IPL 2026 Orange Cap — Final Standings, Winner & Top 5 Run-Scorers
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has won the IPL 2026 Orange Cap. The 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals opener finished the season with 776 runs in 16 matches at an extraordinary strike rate of 237.30, average 48.50, and a record 66 sixes — overhauling Chris Gayle’s 2012 mark of 59 to become the all-time IPL season six-hitting leader. He is the youngest Orange Cap winner in IPL history and the first player ever to sweep five individual awards in one IPL season — Orange Cap, MVP, Emerging Player, Super Striker, and Super Sixes. Shubman Gill (GT, 732 runs) finished second after a Final dismissal for 10; Sai Sudharsan (GT, 722 runs) ended third.
🟠 IPL 2026 Orange Cap — Final Top 5 Run-Scorers
Final standings after the IPL 2026 Final on 31 May 2026. All numbers locked.
| Rank | Player | Team | Mat | Runs | Avg | SR | 100s / 50s | Result in Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🟠 1 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | RR | 16 | 776 | 48.50 | 237.30 | 1 / 5 | Did not play — RR eliminated in Q2 |
| 2 | Shubman Gill | GT | 16 | 732 | 45.75 | 158+ | 1 / 6 | 10 off 8 — c Patidar b Hazlewood |
| 3 | Sai Sudharsan | GT | 16 | 722 | 46.57+ | 155+ | 1 / 7 | 12 off 12 — b Bhuvneshwar (ramp) |
| 4 | Heinrich Klaasen | SRH | 15 | 624 | 57+ | 157+ | 1 / 5 | Did not play — SRH out in Eliminator |
| 5 | Virat Kohli | RCB | 16 | 660 | 50+ | 162+ | 0 / 6 | 75* off 42 — Player of the Match · IPL Champion |
What Happened in the Final — Orange Cap Decided in 8 Balls
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played three knockout matches in IPL 2026. He scored 97, 97, and 96. He never got a century in them. He still won the Orange Cap, the MVP, Emerging Player, Super Striker, and Super Sixes — five individual awards, the first time any player has done that in IPL history. At 15. At a strike rate of 237. With more sixes (66) than any batter in a single IPL season since the tournament began in 2008. The closest comparison anyone reached for during the season was Chris Gayle’s 2012, which itself was the gold standard for the past 13 years. Sooryavanshi has now surpassed it.
Shubman Gill (732) and Sai Sudharsan (722) had outstanding seasons — both crossed 700 runs, both averaged in the high 40s, both came within range. Either of them in any other year would have walked the Orange Cap home. The reason they didn’t is the same reason Sooryavanshi’s record will be hard to beat: a 15-year-old going at a strike rate of 237 doesn’t just score runs, he scores them so fast that he gets through more deliveries per match than anyone else in the order. RR were eliminated in Qualifier 2 and Sooryavanshi still finished 54 runs clear. That gap tells you everything.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s IPL 2026 — Five Awards, One Season
| Award | Stat | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 🟠 Orange Cap | 776 runs in 16 matches | Youngest Orange Cap winner ever (15) |
| ⭐ MVP (Player of the Tournament) | Combined batting impact across the season | First teenager to win MVP |
| 🌟 Emerging Player | Best young player under 25 | 2nd consecutive Emerging Player award |
| ⚡ Super Striker | SR 237.30 (highest in top 5) | Tournament’s highest strike rate among 500+ run scorers |
| 💥 Super Sixes | 66 sixes | Most sixes ever in an IPL season — broke Gayle’s 2012 record (59) |
No player in IPL history had swept five individual awards in one season before Sooryavanshi. Read the full picture of the IPL 2026 awards in our IPL 2026 Season Review.
How the Race Ended — Sooryavanshi vs Gill vs Sudharsan
Sooryavanshi’s path to the Orange Cap
- 583 runs in the league stage alone
- 97 in the Eliminator (vs SRH, May 27)
- 96 in Qualifier 2 (vs GT, May 29) — out to Rabada
- Three knockout scores in the 90s — never a century
- Final tally locked at 776 after RR elimination
- 66 sixes — most ever in an IPL season
Why Gill & Sudharsan fell short
- Gill needed 55 in the Final — got 10 off 8 (Hazlewood bouncer)
- Sudharsan needed 67 — got 12 off 12 (ramp off Bhuvneshwar)
- Both back in dugout inside 4 overs of the Final
- Gill won his 1st-ever century in an IPL playoff (Q2) — peaked before the Final
- Sudharsan: 2nd-best avg of the tournament (46+) but couldn’t convert in the Final
- Combined, they were 120 short of Sooryavanshi heading into the Final
What Is the Orange Cap and How Does It Work?
The Orange Cap is awarded to the batter with the most runs across an IPL season. It’s worn by the current leader during matches, passed match-by-match as the standings shift, and given permanently at the end of the tournament to the season’s top run-scorer.
Orange Cap Historical Benchmarks
The Orange Cap is typically won with 600–750 runs over a full season. Here’s the all-time top winning tallies:
| Season | Winner | Team | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Virat Kohli | RCB | 973 |
| 2023 | Shubman Gill | GT | 890 |
| 2022 | Jos Buttler | RR | 863 |
| 2026 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | RR | 776 |
| 2024 | Virat Kohli | RCB | 741 |
| 2018 | Kane Williamson | SRH | 735 |
| 2013 | Michael Hussey | CSK | 733 |
| 2012 | Chris Gayle | RCB | 733 |
| 2019 | David Warner | SRH | 692 |
| 2020 | KL Rahul | PBKS | 670 |
| 2014 | Robin Uthappa | KKR | 660 |
Sooryavanshi’s 776 is the 5th-highest single-season Orange Cap tally in IPL history. For the full IPL all-time run-scoring history, see Most Runs in IPL History.
The 973 Wall — Why Kohli’s 2016 Record Is Still Untouchable
Virat Kohli’s 973 runs in IPL 2016 remains the gold standard. No batter in the decade since has come within 80 runs of that mark — not Buttler in 2022, not Gill in 2023, not Sooryavanshi in 2026.
Most Orange Caps Won — All-Time Leaders
| Player | Orange Caps | Years |
|---|---|---|
| David Warner | 3 | 2015, 2017, 2019 |
| Chris Gayle | 2 | 2011, 2012 |
| Virat Kohli | 2 | 2016, 2024 |
Warner remains the most decorated Orange Cap holder — three caps in five seasons during his SRH peak — followed by Gayle and Kohli with two each. Sooryavanshi joined the list of winners in 2026 at age 15, the youngest in IPL history.
Orange Cap Form & Team Success — The Strange Truth
Orange Cap winners rarely win the IPL trophy in the same season. Only IPL 2014 (Robin Uthappa, KKR) and IPL 2021 (Ruturaj Gaikwad, CSK) saw the Orange Cap holder also lift the IPL trophy in the same year. In 2026, the pattern held — Sooryavanshi won the Orange Cap, RCB won the trophy. The team batting consistency that wins championships often spreads runs across the order rather than concentrating them in one batter.
To follow this season’s full team standings, see the IPL 2026 Points Table. For the Final result, read the RCB Win IPL 2026 Final highlights.
IPL Legends Who Defined the Orange Cap Standard
Every batter chasing the Orange Cap competes against legends who shaped how T20 innings are built. Virat Kohli’s 973 in 2016 remains the wall everyone bounces off; Chris Gayle’s 2012 six-hitting (59) was the standard Sooryavanshi finally broke this year; MS Dhoni’s influence in the middle order still echoes in batting orders today — bowlers, match-ups, and field settings were structured around accounting for him at 5 or 6. See MS Dhoni’s complete IPL career stats to understand the standard set. For the bowling equivalent, the all-time most wickets in IPL history tells the parallel story.
Frequently Asked Questions — IPL 2026 Orange Cap
Who won the IPL 2026 Orange Cap?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of Rajasthan Royals won the IPL 2026 Orange Cap with 776 runs in 16 matches at an average of 48.50 and strike rate of 237.30. The 15-year-old also won MVP, Emerging Player, Super Striker, and Super Sixes — five individual awards in one season, an IPL first. He broke Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes in an IPL season with 66 maximums. He is the youngest Orange Cap winner in IPL history.
Who finished second in the IPL 2026 Orange Cap?
Shubman Gill of Gujarat Titans finished second in the IPL 2026 Orange Cap with 732 runs in 16 matches at an average of 45.75, with one century and six fifties. He needed 55 runs in the Final to overtake Sooryavanshi but was dismissed for 10 off 8 balls by Josh Hazlewood, caught by Rajat Patidar at mid-off.
How many runs did Vaibhav Sooryavanshi score in IPL 2026?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 776 runs in 16 matches in IPL 2026 at an average of 48.50 and strike rate of 237.30. He hit 1 century and 5 fifties, including the fastest century of the season (36 balls), and 66 sixes — the most ever by any batter in a single IPL season. His season included 97 in the Eliminator and 96 in Qualifier 2.
Who has the highest strike rate among the IPL 2026 top run-scorers?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had the highest strike rate among the IPL 2026 top five run-scorers at 237.30 — the highest in IPL history among batters scoring 500+ runs in a season. His 776 runs came at that rate across 16 matches, including 66 sixes (the most by any batter in a single IPL season) and the fastest century of the tournament at 36 balls.
What was the fastest century in IPL 2026?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi holds the fastest century record in IPL 2026 with a hundred off just 36 balls for Rajasthan Royals — one of the fastest in IPL history. Shubman Gill’s 104 off 53 in Qualifier 2 was the fastest century in IPL 2026 playoff history and the first ever by a captain in an IPL knockout match.
How many awards did Vaibhav Sooryavanshi win in IPL 2026?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi won 5 individual awards in IPL 2026 — Orange Cap, Most Valuable Player (MVP), Emerging Player, Super Striker, and Super Sixes. This is the first time any player has swept five individual awards in a single IPL season since the tournament began in 2008.
Who has won the most Orange Caps in IPL history?
David Warner has won the most Orange Caps in IPL history with three titles for Sunrisers Hyderabad (2015, 2017, 2019). Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli are next with two Orange Caps each. Shubman Gill won the Orange Cap in IPL 2023 — a second title in 2026 would have made him a two-time winner, but Sooryavanshi finished ahead.
Did the Orange Cap winner win the IPL 2026 trophy?
No — Sooryavanshi won the Orange Cap but Rajasthan Royals were eliminated in Qualifier 2. Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the IPL 2026 trophy by beating Gujarat Titans in the Final. Only twice in IPL history has the Orange Cap winner also lifted the trophy — Robin Uthappa with KKR in 2014, and Ruturaj Gaikwad with CSK in 2021.
The Bottom Line — IPL 2026 Orange Cap
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the IPL 2026 Orange Cap winner — 776 runs, 16 matches, strike rate 237.30, 66 sixes (most ever in an IPL season), and the youngest Orange Cap holder in tournament history at 15. Shubman Gill (732) and Sai Sudharsan (722) both crossed 700 runs but couldn’t overtake him in the Final — Gill out for 10, Sudharsan for 12. Virat Kohli (660) finished fifth with the IPL 2026 trophy in his hands.
The remarkable footnote: Sooryavanshi played three knockout matches and scored 97, 97, and 96 — never reaching a century in those games. He still won the Orange Cap by 54 runs. He is the future of this league, and the Orange Cap conversation in 2026 was his from start to finish. Bookmark this page for IPL 2027 — we’ll start tracking the Orange Cap from the season opener.