IPL 2018: Who will win the Orange Cap this season?
With almost a month left now, cricket fans are eagerly waiting for the 11th edition of Indian Premier League. Runs will start flowing when defending champions Mumbai take on Chennai at the Wankhede stadium. Batsmen from across the globe will look to make their mark in the cash-rich league. But, who will be the winner of Orange Cap in IPL 11? Here's our list.
CSK's cog in the wheel Suresh Raina
India's T20 specialist Suresh Raina is a no-brainer in this list. The southpaw will be returning to his "home" Chennai Super Kings in this season. Raina has played all 10 seasons of the IPL and has hardly missed any matches. But despite being the leading run-scorer in the league, he has never won the Orange Cap. Will 2018 be a lucky year for him?
Sunrisers captain David Warner
Talk about IPL's run machine and David Warner is one of the first names that would come to your mind. The left-handed opener is a two-time Orange Cap winner. He was the leading run-getter in 2015 and 2017 IPL seasons. In 2016, he managed to score 848 runs and led the Sunrisers Hyderabad to IPL glory.
RCB's skipper Virat Kohli
Indian skipper Virat Kohli is one of the favourites to win the Orange Cap this season. 2017 was not a great season for the franchise. However, Kohli will look to draw inspiration from his record-breaking campaign in 2016 where he had slammed four centuries to end up the season with 973 runs. Can you doubt his ability to repeat that feat?
KKR's opener Robin Uthappa
Uthappa has been one of the star performers for KKR in the IPL. There is a reason why KKR showed faith in him and retained him using the 'Right to Match' card at Rs. 6.4 crore. In the 2014 campaign, the right-handed batsman scored 660 runs, thereby winning the Orange Cap. With Gambhir gone, he will be the pivotal force for KKR.
Rajasthan Royal's captain Steve Smith
Australian captain Steven Smith is arguably one of the finest batsmen in cricket right now. Averaging over 37 in the IPL with a strike rate of 130+, Smith is certainly a valuable asset and may continue his habit of accumulating runs when the IPL kicks off this year. Smith had amassed 472 runs in 15 matches in the last IPL season.
