IPL 2025: Nicholas Pooran & Noor Ahmad Claim Orange and Purple Caps After Thrilling First Two Rounds
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Nicholas Pooran Blasts His Way To Orange Cap
The Indian Premier League is the biggest T20 franchise tournament in the world, and over the years, we have seen some of the most memorable innings unfold, such as Chris Gayle’s blistering 30-ball century for the Royal Challengers Bangalore against the Pune Warriors back in 2013.
West Indies cricketers have consistently performed well in the IPL - from Dwayne Bravo helping the Chennai Super Kings earn several titles to Sunil Narine winning Player of the Tournament with the Kolkata Knight Riders last season - and this year, another player from the Caribbean is shining on the grandest T20 stage of them all.
The Windies’ wicket-keeper batsman Nicholas Pooran has rocketed to the top of the leading run-scorer standings over the first two rounds after producing back-to-back half-centuries in blistering fashion against the Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, respectively.
In his opening match against DC, Pooran blasted 75 runs in just 30 balls at a 250.00 strike-rate batting at number three and followed up that innings with 70 off only 26 balls to lead his team to a five-wicket victory over SRH on Thursday.
The 29-year-old’s knock against the Sunrisers was particularly noteworthy, as it took him just 18 balls to reach his half-century, marking the fastest 50 in this season’s competition so far. Additionally, this innings also goes down as the second-quickest 50 in the LSG’s history, behind his own previous record of reaching the same milestone in 15 balls against RCB in 2023.
Pooran was not in the top 10 pre-tournament favourites to be this season’s leading run-scorer according to the IPL betting odds, but he is now the holder of this season’s Orange Cap and will be looking to extend his lead when his side faces Punjab on Tuesday. Our experts’ LSG vs PBKS prediction is already live, so be sure to check it out ahead of the toss!
Noor Ahmad Bamboozles Batters To Earn Purple Cap
The Indian Premier League has been a tournament in which we have seen spin bowlers announce themselves on the global stage, thanks in part to the favourable conditions they experience here in the sub-continent.
This season, the early player with the golden arm is Afghanistan’s spin wizard Noor Ahmad, who has shot to the top of the leading wicket-taker standings with nine wickets in three matches, while boasting a sensational strike-rate of just over eight.
The left-armer’s best performance of the campaign to date came in his very first match for his new employers, where he bagged a remarkable 4/18 in four overs against familiar foes, the Mumbai Indians, in the El-Clasico of the IPL on March 23. His scalps included Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Minz, Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir.
Following that performance, Ahmad notched up 3/36 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in match eight of the competition, and added another two wickets for 28 runs versus Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, which put him one wicket ahead of Australian quick Mitchell Starc for the Delhi Capitals.
At just 20 years of age, Ahmad became the Chennai Super Kings’ most expensive player at the IPL mega auction last November, with the five-time champions coughing up ₹10 crore to secure his services from the Gujarat Titans, who grabbed him for the base price buy-in of just ₹30 lakh back in 2022.
CSK’s next match will see them take on the Capitals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on April 6, but our cricket predictions will be available throughout the week for all matches at this year’s Indian Premier League.
