Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen of Sunrisers Hyderabad celebrate their partnership. (NOT a photo) NEW DELHI: The IPL 2026 Orange Cap race took a dramatic turn as Abhishek Sharma stormed to the top after a sensational unbeaten 135 against Delhi Capitals, underlining his form and dominance this season. The Sunrisers Hyderabad opener now leads the charts with 323 runs at an average of 53.83 at a staggering strike rate of 215.33, setting the benchmark for the competition.Hot on his heels is teammate Heinrich Klaasen, who was equally impressive with 320 runs. Klaasen’s consistency and finishing skills have made him a vital pillar in SRH’s batting line-up, keeping the pressure firmly on Abhishek at the top.
Watch
IPL 2026: LSG’s Prince Yadav backs their plan despite loss to PBKSGo Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill ranks third with 265 runs from just five matches, combining leadership with reliability. Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli follows fourth with 247 runs, continuing his steady form, while Rajasthan Royals’ young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi completes the top five with 246 runs in an impressive breakout season.Further down the list, SRH stand-in captain Ishan Kishan climbed to sixth with 238 runs, surpassing RCB skipper Rajat Patidar, who is seventh with 230. Cooper Connolly of Punjab Kings and Yashasvi Jaiswal of Rajasthan Royals are tied on 223 while the batsmen are 8, Priyanninth rounded out the top 10 with 211 runs.With such tight margins and several players in top form, the race for the Orange Cap is shaping up to be one of the most compelling stories of IPL 2026. Every innings is proving to be decisive and positions are changing rapidly as the batsmen push the limits.
IPL 2026 Orange Cap Standings
RankingPlayerRunsMatchesInningsSRAve.HS1Abhishek Sharma (SRH)32377215.3353.83135*2Heinrich Klaasen (SRH)32077153.1153.33623Shubman Gill (GT)26546255151 (RCB)24766157.3249.4069*5Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (RR)24666236.5341.00786Ishan Kishan (SRH)23877188.8834.00917Rajat Patidar (0606263)26 Cooper. Connolly (PBKS)22365163.9755.75879Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR)22366152.7355.7577*10Priyansh Arya (PBKS)21155248.2342.2093In a match on Tuesday that briefly affected the order, Abhishek powered Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 135 to a 47-run win over Delhi Capitals, adding to his coveted cap.
