The Women’s Premier League (WPL) has transformed women’s franchise cricket by bringing together talented Indian players and international stars. Since the tournament began in 2023, bowlers have played a major role in shaping close contests, defending challenging totals and changing matches with timely breakthroughs.
Among the tournament’s individual honours, the Purple Cap stands out as a recognition of bowling excellence. It is awarded to the player who finishes a WPL season as the leading wicket-taker. Winning this award requires more than taking wickets in one memorable match. Bowlers must maintain their effectiveness across different opponents, pitches and match situations.
The WPL Purple Cap winners through the years include Hayley Matthews, Shreyanka Patil, Amelia Kerr and Sophie Devine. Their achievements demonstrate the importance of spin, pace, accuracy and tactical awareness in modern women’s T20 cricket.
This guide covers every Purple Cap winner from 2023 to 2026, their wicket tallies, standout performances and the lessons their campaigns offer cricket fans.
WPL Purple Cap Winners List From 2023 to 2026
The following table provides a season-by-season overview of the Purple Cap winners.
| Season | Purple Cap Winner | Team | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Hayley Matthews | Mumbai Indians | 16 |
| 2024 | Shreyanka Patil | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 13 |
| 2025 | Amelia Kerr | Mumbai Indians | 18 |
| 2026 | Sophie Devine | Gujarat Giants | 17 |
Four different players have won the award across the first four seasons. Their performances also highlight the variety of bowling skills needed to succeed in the WPL, from controlling the middle overs with spin to taking wickets through pace and changes of delivery.
2023: Hayley Matthews Wins the Inaugural Purple Cap
Hayley Matthews became the first WPL Purple Cap winner in 2023 after taking 16 wickets for Mumbai Indians. She played a vital role in the franchise’s successful inaugural campaign, combining her bowling contributions with useful performances as an all-rounder.
Matthews is known for her off-spin, which allows her to challenge batters who prefer to attack through the leg side or use their feet against slower bowling. Her ability to maintain control while searching for wickets made her particularly valuable in the middle overs.
She finished the season level on 16 wickets with England spinner Sophie Ecclestone of UP Warriorz. However, Matthews secured the Purple Cap after the season’s statistical comparison favoured her overall bowling performance.
This close contest showed that the Purple Cap race can depend on more than the raw number of wickets. Bowling average, economy rate and other performance measures can become important when two players finish with identical totals.
Matthews also contributed to Mumbai Indians winning the first WPL championship. Her bowling helped the team restrict opposition batters, while her all-round ability gave the side additional flexibility.
Season highlight: Matthews finished with 16 wickets and became the first player to receive the WPL Purple Cap.
2024: Shreyanka Patil Makes History for RCB
Shreyanka Patil won the Purple Cap in 2024 after taking 13 wickets for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Her performance was especially significant because she became the first Indian bowler to win the award.
Patil established herself as an important part of RCB’s bowling attack through her off-spin and willingness to challenge batters. She showed that young Indian players could compete with experienced international stars on one of the biggest stages in women’s franchise cricket.
Her ability to attack the stumps and vary her pace helped her create wicket-taking opportunities. Rather than depending entirely on defensive bowling, she looked for ways to force batters into difficult shots.
Patil’s contributions were particularly valuable during the tournament’s decisive matches. RCB needed their bowlers to contain strong batting line-ups, and her wickets helped the team maintain pressure.
The season ended with Royal Challengers Bengaluru winning their first WPL title. Patil’s Purple Cap became one of the defining individual achievements of that championship campaign.
Her success also offered encouragement to young Indian cricketers hoping to establish themselves in the league. It demonstrated that domestic experience, confidence and effective execution could produce outstanding results against elite opposition.
Season highlight: Patil took 13 wickets and became the first Indian player to win the WPL Purple Cap.
2025: Amelia Kerr Sets a New Record With 18 Wickets
Amelia Kerr produced a standout bowling campaign in 2025, taking 18 wickets for Mumbai Indians to win the Purple Cap.
The New Zealand leg-spinner had already developed a reputation for controlling the middle overs and attacking batters with variations in flight, pace and trajectory. Her WPL performances reinforced those strengths.
Kerr’s ability to vary her deliveries made it difficult for batters to settle into a predictable scoring rhythm. She could challenge aggressive players with attacking lines while using changes of pace to encourage mistakes.
Her 18 wickets established a new single-season benchmark for the award at that time. However, the achievement became even more interesting because her Mumbai Indians teammate Hayley Matthews also finished with 18 wickets.
Kerr secured the Purple Cap through the comparison of their bowling figures, including her superior economy rate. Kerr recorded an economy rate of 7.75, compared with Matthews’ 8.22.
This result highlighted an important feature of T20 bowling. Two bowlers can take the same number of wickets, yet the one who concedes fewer runs per over can have the stronger overall statistical performance.
Kerr also played a significant role in Mumbai Indians winning the 2025 WPL championship. Her combination of control and wicket-taking ability helped the team manage difficult phases of matches.
Season highlight: Kerr took 18 wickets, set a new single-season benchmark and helped Mumbai Indians secure another WPL title.
2026: Sophie Devine Wins the Purple Cap for Gujarat Giants
Sophie Devine claimed the Purple Cap in 2026 after taking 17 wickets for Gujarat Giants. Her performance added another international name to the award’s growing history.
Devine is widely recognised as an aggressive all-rounder, but her bowling contribution demonstrated her ability to influence matches beyond batting. Her experience in international cricket and franchise competitions helped her adapt to different opponents and match conditions.
As a right-arm medium-fast bowler, Devine can use variations in pace and changes of length to disrupt batters. These skills are particularly useful in T20 cricket, where batters frequently look to attack from the beginning of an innings.
Her 17 wickets placed her ahead of the other bowlers in the season’s final standings. The achievement was especially notable because the previous season’s winner, Kerr, had set a high benchmark with 18 wickets.
Devine’s victory also expanded the list of teams represented by Purple Cap winners. Before 2026, the award had gone to players from Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Her achievement brought Gujarat Giants into that list.
Her campaign underlined the value of experienced all-rounders who can contribute in different roles. While batting remains an important part of Devine’s game, her bowling proved decisive in the race for individual recognition.
Season highlight: Devine finished the 2026 season with 17 wickets and became the first Gujarat Giants player to win the WPL Purple Cap.
Comparing the WPL Purple Cap Winners
The four winners have produced different wicket totals, but each has demonstrated the importance of consistency and tactical discipline.
| Player | Season | Wickets | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayley Matthews | 2023 | 16 | Mumbai Indians |
| Shreyanka Patil | 2024 | 13 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
| Amelia Kerr | 2025 | 18 | Mumbai Indians |
| Sophie Devine | 2026 | 17 | Gujarat Giants |
Amelia Kerr holds the highest single-season total among these winners with 18 wickets. Sophie Devine follows closely with 17, while Matthews recorded 16 in the inaugural edition.
Patil’s total of 13 was lower than the other winners’ tallies, but her achievement remains important because it helped establish her as a leading Indian bowling talent.
The figures also show that winning the Purple Cap does not require a fixed number of wickets. The total depends on the length of the tournament, the number of matches played and how closely competitors perform.
What Makes a WPL Purple Cap Winner?
Taking the most wickets in a competitive T20 league requires a combination of technical skill, preparation and decision-making. The following factors help explain why certain bowlers rise above the rest.
1. Consistent Wicket-Taking Ability
A Purple Cap contender must find ways to dismiss batters throughout the season. One excellent spell can create headlines, but repeated contributions are what build a leading wicket tally.
2. Control Over Line and Length
Accurate bowling limits easy scoring opportunities and forces batters to take greater risks. Consistent line and length can also create pressure that leads to mistakes.
3. Effective Use of Variations
Spin, changes of pace, slower deliveries and variations in trajectory can make a bowler difficult to predict. The best bowlers use these options according to the batter and match situation rather than relying on variations without a clear plan.
4. Understanding Match Situations
A bowler’s role changes throughout an innings. During the powerplay, the priority may be to take early wickets. In the middle overs, breaking partnerships can be crucial, while the death overs demand accurate execution under pressure.
5. Maintaining Composure
T20 cricket often gives bowlers little room for error. An expensive over can change a match quickly, so the ability to recover, adjust tactics and remain focused is essential.
Why the Purple Cap Matters in the WPL
The Purple Cap recognises individual bowling achievement, but its importance extends beyond the leaderboard.
First, it highlights the role of bowlers in a competition often associated with powerful batting. Wickets can disrupt partnerships, slow scoring rates and prevent opposition teams from reaching competitive totals.
Second, the award provides visibility to emerging talent. Patil’s 2024 success demonstrated how an Indian player could use the WPL platform to establish herself among the competition’s leading bowlers.
Finally, the Purple Cap creates an additional storyline throughout the tournament. Fans can follow the changing wicket tally and compare performances across teams, adding another layer of interest to the league stage and playoffs.
Key Takeaways
- Hayley Matthews won the first WPL Purple Cap in 2023 with 16 wickets.
- Shreyanka Patil became the first Indian Purple Cap winner in 2024 with 13 wickets.
- Amelia Kerr set the single-season benchmark with 18 wickets in 2025.
- Sophie Devine won the award in 2026 with 17 wickets for Gujarat Giants.
- Matthews and Kerr both finished with 18 wickets in their respective seasons, but Kerr’s 2025 campaign set the highest winning total.
- Spin bowling has featured prominently in the award’s history, while Devine’s success also highlights the value of pace and experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who won the first WPL Purple Cap?
Hayley Matthews of Mumbai Indians won the inaugural WPL Purple Cap in 2023 with 16 wickets.
2. Who has taken the most wickets in a single WPL season?
Amelia Kerr holds the highest winning-season tally in this list, taking 18 wickets for Mumbai Indians in 2025.
3. Who won the WPL Purple Cap in 2026?
Sophie Devine won the 2026 Purple Cap after taking 17 wickets for Gujarat Giants.
4. Which Indian player first won the WPL Purple Cap?
Shreyanka Patil became the first Indian Purple Cap winner after taking 13 wickets for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2024.
5. What does the WPL Purple Cap represent?
The WPL Purple Cap recognises the bowler who finishes a season as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, with statistical tie-breakers relevant when players have equal totals.
The WPL Purple Cap winners through the years have demonstrated how important effective bowling is to success in women’s T20 cricket. Hayley Matthews set the original standard in 2023, Shreyanka Patil made history for India in 2024, Amelia Kerr raised the benchmark with 18 wickets in 2025, and Sophie Devine continued the tradition with a strong campaign in 2026.
Their achievements reflect different strengths, from accurate spin bowling to variations in pace and the tactical experience required to succeed under pressure. As the WPL continues to grow, the Purple Cap will remain an important measure of bowling excellence and a record worth following every season.
