IPL 2022: Top 5 probable Orange Cap contenders for this season

The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to begin on March 26 with the first match between the Chennai Super Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The highest run-scorer in the competition will be awarded a prestigious Orange Cap and the player is rewarded for his brilliant performances throughout the tournament. At the end of the season, the cap is compared to a handsome amount of prize money and will be rewarded to the winning player.

Cricket is a team sport and not just a game of batsman or bowler. As a result, in the last 14 editions of the IPL, only two players from the title-winning team have got Orange Cap.

The first time Robin Uthappa got the Orange Cap was in 2014 when he won the title for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The other is when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated KKR to win the title for the fourth time in IPL 2021. Ruturaj Gaikwad of CSK became the highest run-scorer of the tournament in that event.

However, it is not yet clear who will receive the Orange Cap at the end of the 2022 season. Below is a probable list of the top 5 competing batsmen to achieve this –

KL Rahul

KL Rahul has been the most consistent performer among Indian batsmen in recent years of the IPL. He won the Orange Cap (670 runs) in the 2020 edition of the tournament. However, his team (Kings XI Punjab) was not impressed with his performance. Despite his brilliant performance, they could not take place in the playoffs.

The right-handed batsman will lead a new team (Lucknow Super Giants) this year. The position of the team in the points table will depend a lot on the performance of Captain Rahul. The Karnataka batsman has scored over 600 runs in 3 of the last 4 seasons.

If Rahul becomes the highest run-getter again this year, he will be the only Indian to win the Orange Cap twice.

Faf du Plessis

Faf du Plessis, the former South African national team captain, was a key part of CSK’s 2021 title-winning campaign, scoring 633 runs at an average of 45.21. He was just three runs behind the highest scorer of the season. Arguably, he is currently the best South African player in the tournament.

The right-handed batsman will now be seen leading Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Faf has performed consistently over the last few years for CSK. If the former Proteas captain plays in the opening for RCB, he will have a good chance of winning the Orange Cap.

David Warner

David Warner is one of the most consistent foreign cricketers in the IPL. The Australian opener has so far scored 5,449 runs in 150 innings at an average of 41.59, including 50 half-centuries and four centuries.

The left-arm batsman will play for the Delhi Capitals this season. Warner has received the Orange Cap three times so far. In 2015, 2017, and 2019 – which is a record in the history of IPL as he has received the honour more times than the others.  Ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year, Australia will also want Warner to return to form and get a lot of runs this season.

Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the highest scorer in IPL 2021, is CSK’s opener, who was included in the squad after the retirement of Shane Watson. The CSK opener scored 635 runs at an average of 45.35 in the last edition, which helped CSK win their 4th title.

The 25-year-old has continued his form in the domestic cricket league since the IPL 2021. This time he has scored 603 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (Indian Domestic Cricket Tournament) with an outstanding average of 150.75. If Ruturaj finishes the tournament as the top run-scorer this season as well, he will be the only Indian to win the Orange Cap twice in a row.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is the highest run-getter in the history of IPL, having scored 6283 runs in 207 matches so far. He is one of the most consistent performers in the league. Although his current form is not so rhythmic, he knows how to make a great comeback as well. This is a golden opportunity to get back to form and score plenty of runs before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.

Kohli will not lead his team in this tournament. So, he can now play more independently. We may see a replay of IPL 2016 where Kohli broke all records by scoring 973 runs, which is the record for most runs in a single edition of the league so far.

Kohli is likely to open with Faf du Plessis this season. As the former RCB captain might get a chance to face more deliveries, he will be among the top contenders to win the Orange Cap.