IPL 2018: Top 5 Contenders Of Orange Cap This Season

What makes this year’s Orange cap interesting is the absence of David Warner who was the Orange cap winner in 2 of the last 3 IPLs. The waning powers of the likes of Chris Gayle also open possibilities for others. While there will always be dark horses who surprise us with their batting prowess, let’s have a look at the top 5 contenders for this season’s Orange cap.

Shikhar Dhawan:

The stock of Shikhar Dhawan has risen steadily in the last few years in all formats of the game. Last year, he finished 3rd behind Warner and Gambhir. He has been in tremendous form with 960 runs in ODI at an average of 48 in 2017. He has a complete repertoire of shots and is comfortable facing any type of bowlers on any pitch. The added advantage of opening the innings for SRH gives him the chance to face the maximum deliveries in an innings. One of the most consistent performers in IPL, it’s a surprise he hasn’t won the Orange Cap yet. It could be his year, you never know.

Virat Kohli:

Virat Kohli is the most feared batsman in the world currently. If there is any batsman who would end up in everyone’s IPL fantasy team it would be him. Spectators expect a spectacular performance from him every time he steps out with his bat. Arguably, the most complete batsman in the world right now, Kohli has the added skill of timing the run chase to perfection. With Chris Gayle not present in the RCB line-up, the added responsibility will egg him on to post mammoth scores and win him another orange cap.

AB De Villiers:

The most versatile batsmen to grace the cricketing world, AB is in top form. He has been in top 5 in the last 2 out of 3 seasons. He has played numerous memorable innings in the past IPL matches, which propelled RCB to the knockout stages. Rightly known as the 360-degree batsman, his ability to execute the orthodox and unorthodox shots with equal ease makes it a nightmare for bowlers and fielding captains. He has been a mainstay of RCB from the beginning and his contribution will be vital to RCB winning its maiden IPL title.

Suresh Raina:

Irrespective of how they fare elsewhere, there are few players who perform exceptionally well in IPL. Suresh Raina is one of them. He has been crucial to CSK winning titles. Coming in to bat mostly at No. 3, Raina has the capability of pacing the innings very well. He can keep the scoreboard ticking in the middle over and can be devastating towards the end of innings. Known for his shortcomings against short bowling, it will be interesting to see how he fares against it in this series. The advantage of being back in familiar surroundings with CSK will surely boost his Orange cap credentials.

Gautam Gambhir:

Even though he doesn’t feature in any international matches for India anymore, Gautam Gambhir remains one of the most bankable batsmen in IPL. Captaining his home team (Daredevils) after a very successful stint with KKR, it will be interesting to see how he fares this season. One of the few players who perform well with the extra burden of captaincy, he has been in the top 5 top scorers in the last 2 editions (2nd highest scorer in 2017 edition). It will be interesting to see if he can bring the same batting skills and shrewd captaincy to Daredevils which saw him lift 2 winners title with KKR. 

So, let’s see who among these win bags this IPL season’s Orange cap.