Morning Kohli, afternoon Rahul, evening Vaibhav, night Abhishek: Orange Cap madness in IPL

Orange Cap did more cardio than everyone else.

April 25, 2026 will go down as one of the wildest days in IPL history. Not only did the Orange Cap change hands four times in a single day, but it also delivered record breaking knocks, massive chases and heartbreaks.

The day began with Virat Kohli sitting at the top after his classy 81 against Gujarat Titans. But the leaderboard didn’t stay still for long.

In the afternoon clash, KL Rahul produced one of the greatest T20 innings ever. The Delhi Capitals skipper smashed an unbeaten 152 off 67 balls against Punjab Kings, the highest score of the season at that point. It pushed him to the top of the Orange Cap race.

Yet, the knock came in a losing cause.

Punjab Kings pulled off a stunning chase, hunting down Delhi’s 264 for 2 in just 18.5 overs to win by six wickets with seven balls to spare. The match aggregate of 529 runs became one of the highest in T20 history. Rahul’s 152 now stands as the highest individual score in a losing cause in both IPL and overall T20 cricket, going past Rishabh Pant’s 128 not out in 2018. It also became the highest score by an Indian in T20s, overtaking Tilak Varma’s 151.

In a rare moment, Rahul was still named Player of the Match despite being on the losing side.

The chaos only intensified in the evening game.

Rajasthan Royals’ 15 year old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stunned everyone with a breathtaking 103 off just 36 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad. It was the third fastest century in IPL history and briefly took him to the top, edging past Rahul on strike rate.

But Sunrisers Hyderabad had the final word.

Chasing 230, they completed a clinical run chase with nine balls to spare. Ishan Kishan led the charge with a blistering 74 off 31 balls, while Abhishek Sharma’s 57 off 29 balls proved decisive. By the end of the night, Sharma climbed to the top of the Orange Cap standings with 380 runs from eight matches.

Three matches, four leaders, and records tumbling every few hours. From Rahul’s historic knock in defeat to a 15 year old rewriting record books, it was a day that perfectly captured the madness and magic of the IPL.

Orange Cap summary

• Morning: Virat Kohli led with 328 runs after his 81 vs GT
• Afternoon: KL Rahul jumped to 357 runs with his unbeaten 152
• Evening: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi matched 357 and briefly went ahead on strike rate after his 103
• Night: Abhishek Sharma finished on top with 380 runs from 8 matches