IPL 2026 Stats: Virat Kohli Grabs Orange Cap After RCB Vs LSG, Prasidh Krishna Leads Purple Cap Race

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Virat Kohli made his first-ever Impact Sub appearance albeit in winning cause as his side registered a five-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in match 23 of the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL) match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, April 15. Coming into the game, there were concerns around Kohli's availability after the batter was nursing a knee issue.

However, the decision to use him as an 'Impact Sub' worked well as RCB clinched an easy win over struggling LSG and continued their march in the Indian Premier League 2026.

Kohli scored a magnificent 49 off 34 deliveries after having lost his English partner Phil Salt earlier in the innings. Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal formed a partnership for the second wicket (57) as they navigated through the overs.

Earlier, LSG were sent into bat by RCB as the visitors posted 146. Rasikh Salam Dar took four wickets whereas Bhuvneshwar Kumar ended up with three.

ALSO READ: Match Highlights

Speaking after the game against LSG, Kohli said, "I'm still not 100%. My knee was a bit sore last game. Even health-wise, I've been under the weather for four or five days now. So, just getting back up to my best. I started off well today, so I was happy with my intensity." 

As far as the race for the Orange Cap goes, Kohli leads the list with 228 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 158.33. Heinrich Klaasen is second with 224 whereas Rajat Patidar is third with 222 runs.

In the Purple Cap list, Prasidh Krishna still leads the pack with 10 wickets alongside Anshul Kamboj. Bhuveshwar Kumar's three-fer saw him climb up the ladder alongside Krunal Pandya.

For more details on the top five run-scorers and wicket-takers, check out Outlook's dedicated IPL 2026 stats page.