The Purple Cap award in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is often considered as a very prestigious award and all the bowlers have their eyes on it. A Purple Cap is awarded to the bowler with the maximum number of wickets after an IPL season.
As IPL 2023 is knocking at our doors, its important to analyse a few players who can win the Purple Cap. These players essentially will be key cogs in the wheels of the IPL teams and they will have a lot of responsibilities under their belt.
Dwayne Bravo and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have both won the Purple Cap on two occasions and are the most successful bowlers in terms of this award in the lucrative IPL.
In this article, we take a look 5 foreigners who can win the Purple Cap award in the upcoming IPL 2023:
1. Trent Boult (Rajasthan Royals)
Needless to say, left-arm seamer Trent Boult is one of the best Kiwi bowlers to have ever graced the game. The way he swings the ball up front makes him a very lethal bowler. He had a good IPL 2022 season and bagged 16 wickets for the runners-up of last season’s IPL.
Once again, in IPL 2023, he will be one of the strongest contenders for this award. Overall, Trent Boult has bagged 92 wickets in 72 IPL matches.
2. Lockie Ferguson (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Lockie Ferguson returns to the KKR franchise after spending a year with Gujarat Titans (GT). He had 12 scalps in 13 games and along with Mohammad Shami, Ferguson formed an integral part of the bowling department of Gujarat Titans.
Keeping in mind Eden Gardens’ pace friendly pitch, Lockie Ferguson can well win the Purple Cap award in IPL 2023.
3. Kagiso Rabada (Punjab Kings)
South African pacer Kagiso Rabada plays an instrumental role in the bowling department of Punjab Kings (PBKS). His tall height helps him extra pace and bounce and he is one of the most dreaded bowlers of all time.
Rabada has previously won the Purple Cap award in 2020 while plying his trade for Delhi Capitals (DC) and would be hoping to breathe fire once again in this season.
4. Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Spin wizard Sunil Narine has a habit of bamboozling the opposition batters with his unique and wily bowling. He has been a legend of KKR and has been associated with the franchise since IPL 2012.
His bowling has made the Kolkata Knight Riders team win 2 IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. Narine bagged 9 wickets in 14 games for the Knights in IPL 2022.
5. Rashid Khan (Gujarat Titans)
No T20 most wickets discussion feels complete without Rashid Khan’s name. The leg spinner from Afghanistan is one of the best of his kind and is at the moment, one of the best T20 bowlers in the world.
There is a huge possibility that Khan bags the Purple Cap award in IPL 2023, as he is stupendous form. He plays T20 franchise league cricket and international cricket at tandem and has a lot of experience in this format.
Also read: IPL 2023: “They won’t qualify for playoffs”: Aakash Chopra Gives Bold & Strong Prediction For Team
