Chennai Super Kings registered a huge win against Kolkata Knight Riders, recording back-to-back wins since April 2025. New signing Sanju Samson top-scored for CSK to help them post a fighting total of 192 and entered the Orange Cap race in the IPL 2026.

Orange Cap race heats up after the IPL 2026 Match 22, with 39 runs separating the leader and fifth-placed Sanju Samson. Three players, including the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, have managed to score more than 200 runs, but are closely followed by five others.

Sanju Samson enters IPL 2026 Orange Cap race

Sanju Samson scored just 22 runs in his first three innings for CSK, but now he is a strong contender for the Orange Cap this season. He scored 48 runs against KKR to surpass the likes of Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal to occupy fifth place in the scoring chart. Samson has scored 185 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 172.89 and is only 39 runs behind leading run-scorer Heinrich Klaasen.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who dominated the Orange Cap race in the early stages, also overtook Kohli by scoring 27 runs against CSK on Tuesday. However, Kohli is only six runs behind Samson and has played one fewer game. He will be looking to lead the battle once again when RCB take on LSG at home on Wednesday, April 15.

  1. Heinrich Klaasen (SRH) - 224 runs in 5 innings
  2. Ishan Kishan (SRH) - 213 runs in 5 innings
  3. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (RR) - 200 runs in 5 innings
  4. Rajat Patidar (RCB) - 195 runs in 4 innings
  5. Sanju Samson (CSK) - 185 runs in 5 innings
  6. Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR) - 184 runs in 5 innings
  7. Angkrish Raghuvanshi (KKR) - 182 runs in 5 innings
  8. Virat Kohli (RCB) - 179 runs in 4 innings

Anhsul Kamboj in contention for Purple Cap

The Purple Cap race has also been intense this season, with three bowlers dominating the chart so far. Anshul Kamboj took two more wickets during the CSK vs KKR game and became the second bowler to reach 10 wickets or more this season. Kamboj and Krishna are leading the chart with 10 wickets each, but the GT bowler dons the Purple Cap with a superior bowling average.

  1. Prasidh Krishna (GT) - 10 wickets in 4 innings
  2. Anshul Kamboj (CSK) - 10 wickets in 5 innings
  3. Ravi Bishnoi (RR) - 9 wickets in 5 innings
  4. Jofra Archer (RR) - 7 wickets in 5 innings
  5. Prince Yadav (LSG) - 6 wickets in 4 innings
  6. Jacob Duffy (RCB) - 6 wickets in 3 innings
  7. Vaibhav Arora (KKR) - 6 wickets in 4 innings

Also read: CSK vs KKR Highlights