The 13th season of the IPL is starting from the 19th of September in UAE. All the teams have assembled in India and are getting ready to leave for UAE. This is the first time the IPL is not being played in the Indian summer. There won’t be any crowds and many other things will be different this time but one thing which will remain common is the quality of cricket.
Every year in the IPL there are a few common things to watch out for. Some of these are the Orange Cap and Purple Cap winners. There is always curiosity before the tournament about who will win these caps. We always make some predictions about who will win the orange cap and this year it is no different. So, let’s have a look at 5 players who have a chance to win the Orange Cap.
- Prithvi Shaw – Delhi Capitals
Prithvi Shaw is a type of opener you want in your T20 team. He is a youngster, who understands his game and doesn’t feel the heat while taking someone on. He has the right mixture of aggression and defense which you need up at the top. In the powerplay, he can get those early boundaries and then rotate the strike in the middle-overs.
Even though he hasn’t performed really well in the last two seasons but looking at his maturity you feel that this might be his year. If he gets to play all 14 games as an opener then he has a chance to grab that Orange Cap and become the youngest to do so.
- Rohit Sharma – Mumbai Indians
We all know what Rohit Sharma is capable of with the bat in his hand. Most of the Indian cricketers haven’t played cricket from March but Rohit missed some cricket even before that due to an injury. The MI skipper will be raring to go and would want to make a statement in the first couple of games.
The Indian vice-captain has really struggled with the bat in the last couple of seasons but that could be due to lack of form. Once Sharma is on song, there is no stopping him, so if he gets going then winning the Orange Cap won’t be a big deal for him.
- Virat Kohli – Royal Challengers Bangalore
When Virat Kohli scores big no one can even come close to him. In 2016, the RCB captain scored 973 runs, just 27 short of 1000 runs which is insane! How can one even come close to 1000 runs in just 16 games?
The Indian captain, as always will be hungry to perform for RCB and make them win the title for the first time. If Virat Kohli has another freak season like in 2016 then no one can even come close to him.
- Lokesh Rahul – Kings XI Punjab
There is no doubt that KL Rahul has been the best T20 player for India in the last 6-7 months. He has been scoring runs consistently and at a high strike-rate. He has all the shots and has a classical approach to his game.
In the last couple of seasons, he has scored more than 500 runs for KXIP. This year he will be captaining the side as well and if he decides to lead from the front and set a great example then the Orange Cap might be going to him.
- David Warner – Sunrisers Hyderabad
You don’t have an option but to keep this guy’s name in this list. David Warner is an absolute run-machine when it comes to the IPL. The Australian opener has won the orange cap in 2015, 2017 and 2019. He scores more than 500 runs in every single season.
He has been the best IPL batsman in the last 5 years. He missed the last couple of games last year but still was the Orange Cap winner. Even this year he will miss the first couple of games but there is a high chance that he might still end up winning the Orange Cap once again.
