A right-arm medium-fast bowler, Harshad Patel who played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, was the 2021 purple cap winner. He took a total of 32 wickets in 15 matches during the tournament, with an economy rate of 9.17. His best performance came in the opening match of the tournament against the Mumbai Indians, where he took 5 wickets for just 27 runs in his 4 overs. This is the first time Harshal Patel won the Purple Cap in the IPL.