The Indian Premier League on Monday announced the introduction of the Purple Cap, which will be awarded to the bowler with most cumulative wickets to his name.
The move comes days after the IPL introduced the Orange Cap for the batsman with most cumulative runs against his name.
According to an IPL statement, at the end of the season, the holder of the Purple Cap will receive recognition on the final day of the IPL.
In the event of a tie at any given time, the holder will be determined by superior economy rate.
"We have seen over the course of the inaugural season of the DLF Indian Premier League so far that bowlers have just as important a role to play in winning T20 matches as batsmen do.
"DLF IPL has created a distinction for the highest wicket taking bowler in the 'Purple Cap'. The purpose of this initiative is to continue to be innovative, create a further unique piece of history that sets the DLF Indian Premier League apart form the crowd, and to acknowledge outstanding performance by the bowlers," Lalit Modi, IPL Chairman and Commissioner said.
"The bowler who wins the right to call himself Purple Cap Winner 2008 will certainly have earned the right to feel proud of the achievement, since the prevailing thought is that T20 is a 'batsmans game' and DLF IPL is blessed with many of the world's greatest batsmen," Modi added.
