Like it or not, batsmen are the real stars of T20 cricket, with a large part of the crowd showing up simply to see the ball being tonked into the stands for huge boundaries. The IPL is no different, and the crowds love to see the ball being carted around the ground by some of the best batting talents of all time. And with hardly any time left before the 2020 season of the IPL starts, here are 5 batsmen who could win the prestigious Orange Cap at the end of the season.
5. Rohit Sharma
Although Rohit Sharma has led Mumbai Indians to a record four IPL titles, one award that has eluded him is the Orange Cap. This might be down to the fact that Mumbai Indians have made it a habit of starting the tournament off slowly before picking up steam, or the fact that he moves himself up and down the order with some regularity, but Sharma has never managed to hit top form throughout an entire season despite playing some match-winning knocks along the way. However, the Mumbai batsman has enjoyed an excellent 2019 where he performed in all formats of the game, decimating bowlers seemingly at will. While he will be aiming to lead Mumbai to their fifth IPL title, one eye will no doubt be on that Orange Cap come to the end of the season!
4. Virat Kohli
Despite the fact that Royal Challengers Bangalore have never won the IPL title, it takes a brave man to rule captain Virat Kohli out of the running to take home the coveted Orange Cap. The Indian captain has enjoyed great personal success in the tournament and currently sits atop the IPL’s top run-getters chart. He also holds the record for scoring the most runs in a single season of the IPL when he scored a staggering 973 runs in 2016 at an average of 81.08 and an unbelievable strike rate of 152.03 to boot. Although his form has taken somewhat of a hit in recent times, especially on the New Zealand tour, Kohli will definitely be looking at the IPL as a way to regaining his form before the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup later on.
3. Shikhar Dhawan
A somewhat unrecognised and under-appreciated batsman in the IPL scoring charts, Dhawan has frequently been among the top run-getters in the tournament for a number of years now. Having represented Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians, and Sunrisers Hyderabad before making the move back to Delhi again, Dhawan has worked his way to the top of the list of fours hit by a single batsman in the IPL. Particularly strong square of the wicket on either side, Dhawan has also been nursing an injury that has kept him out of the game for a long time, and will definitely be looking to make up for the time he has lost come IPL 2020!
2. KL Rahul
The classy batsman from Karnataka has found his groove as an opener in T20 cricket and looks at home in the Kings XI Punjab jersey. As someone who likes to play himself in before launching an assault, he also seems to have found the perfect opening partner in the form of Chris Gayle. The duo showed enough of their destructive chemistry last year and will be looking to replicate their form in 2020. Rahul carried his good IPL form through to the national stage, emerging as India’s third-highest run-getter in T20Is last year. Rahul will also be captaining Kings XI Punjab for the first time this season, and the added responsibility will no doubt encourage him to raise his game and lead by example.
1. David Warner
Given the restrictions placed on the number of overseas players that an IPL franchise can field, it might be strange to see David Warner mentioned on a list of the highest run-getters in the IPL. But then again, Warner is quite possibly the first name on the Sunrisers Hyderabad team sheet, which he has repaid by winning the Orange Cap thrice! His first win came in the 2015 edition, followed by wins in 2017 and 2019 as well. The Aussie southpaw is by far the highest-scoring overseas batsman in the IPL. Like Rahul, Warner will also be captaining Sunrisers Hyderabad this season and will no doubt be eyeing up a fourth Orange Cap win in 2020.
