The Orange Cap is a prized possession in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and it is given to the player who scores the most runs in a given season. To win the Orange Cap, a player must be extremely consistent over the course of an IPL season while also scoring runs at a high rate. David Warner has received the award three times in the 13-year history of the IPL.
Chris Gayle is also the first batsman to have earned the Orange Cap twice in a row. Just four Indian batsmen have earned the prestigious Orange Cap in the IPL’s 13 seasons. While Sachin Tendulkar was the first Indian cricketer to earn the Orange Cap, which he did in the 2010 IPL, Robin Uthappa and Virat Kohli claimed it in 2014 and 2016, respectively. In the 2020 edition of the tournament, which was held in the United Arab Emirates, KL Rahul was awarded the Orange Cap.
Now, the forthcoming season promises to be one of great excitement. Needless to add, many batsmen would be competing for the honour of wearing the Orange Cap.
According to our Reports 5 players who can win the Orange Cap in the 2021 edition of the IPL
1. David Warner
In the 2020 edition of the IPL, which was held in the deserts of the United Arab Emirates, David Warner was in blistering fashion. In the 13th edition of the IPL, the left-handed batting giant scored 548 runs at an average of 39.14 and a strike rate of 134.64 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) team. Last year, Warner also had four fifties.
In reality, since 2014, the SRH captain has scored more than 500 runs in every IPL season he has participated in. In three of the last four editions that he has played, he has scored more than 55, and these are incredible figures. Warner is also one of the best batsmen in the history of IPL cricket, having scored 5254 runs at an average of 42.71.
Let us also add in one more fact to spice things up a little. In 2015, Warner earned the Orange Cap for the first time. In 2017, he won it for the second time, and in 2019, he won it for the third time. If the current pattern continues, 2021 may be the year he wins it for the fourth time!
2. Devdutt Padikkal
With the willow in side, Devdutt Padikkal shone brightly in his first year in the IPL. The 20-year-old batting phenomenon scored 473 runs in the previous season, averaging 31.53 runs per game. Last year, he was also the top run-scorer for the Royal Challenges Bangalore (RCB) team, which is an amazing achievement for an uncapped batsman, particularly given RCB’s roster includes players like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.
Padikkal has also had a fantastic run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The left-hander has now shattered 673 runs in his six innings of action in the competition, scoring them at an incredible pace of 168.25. He’s already hit four centuries and two fifties in these six innings.
With Padikkal in such fine form, there’s a good possibility he’ll be the top run-scorer in the IPL in 2021.
3. KL Rahul
He is the Orange Cap’s ‘defending champion.’ KL Rahul was in fine form in the 2020 edition of the IPL, which was held in the United Arab Emirates, scoring 670 runs at a strike rate of 55.83. In reality, over the last three years, Rahul has been in outstanding form in the IPL. The Punjab Kings captain has scored 659, 593, and 670 runs in the last three seasons of the IPL.
Rahul has averaged over 50 in each of the last three IPL seasons, scoring 17 fifties and two hundreds in those three editions alone. Rahul was also in great form in T20Is in the year 2020. For the Indian team, he scored 404 runs in 10 innings at a 44.89 average and a strike rate of 140.77.
Rahul also made four fifties in the ten innings he played for India in the T20 format in 2020. Without a doubt, the 28-year-old is in top form, and Rahul has a good chance of winning the Orange Cap in the 2021 edition as well.
4. Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant’s year 2021 has begun as a fantasy. This season, the 23-year-old has 515 runs in 10 innings for the White Sox, averaging 64.38 runs per inning. He has also established himself as an important cog in the Indian Test setup, having dismantled many bowling attacks with the bat.
Pant has had a decent run with the bat in IPL cricket over the last three years. The left-hander racked up 684 runs in the 2018 edition, with an average of 52.62 and a whopping strike rate of 173.60. The Delhi Capitals’ left-hander amassed 488 runs at a strike rate of 162.67 during the 2019 season. He scored 343 runs at a 31.18 average in the previous version.
Pant has a good chance of winning the Orange Cap in the 2021 edition of the IPL, based on his recent form with the bat. And such is his influence, the Delhi Capitals would fancy their chances of winning their first IPL title if he can do so.
1. Virat Kohli
Last year, Virat Kohli scored 466 runs at a 42.36 average in the IPL. Most, however, believed that the RCB captain was not at his best with the willow. Kohli has set a high bar for himself. Kohli scored 431 runs in ODI cricket in 2020, with an average of 47.89. He also made five fifties in the nine innings he played in the ODI style last year.
However, the Indian batting legend’s year was not a particularly fruitful one. Kohli has racked up some impressive numbers throughout his IPL tenure. The 32-year-old is the IPL’s leading run scorer, with 5878 runs at an average of 38.16. In the IPL, the batting legend has already amassed 5 hundreds and 39 fifties.
Though he has reached a low point (by his own lofty standards), a high point is not far away. Kohli has a strong chance of earning the Orange Cap for the second time in his IPL career if he can get back into the groove in the 14th edition.