Its only a week into IPL 2022, and the tournament has already produced a lot of excitement, and the players have shown their prominence for their respective teams.
Bowlers and batters have been outstanding, and many have been favourites to pick the orange and purple cup after exhibiting top-class performance in this tournament. Although batters will compete for the orange cup this season, the batsman with the most runs will take the cap home.
Now it remains to be seen who will lead the line in the orange cap. However, based on their performance, we look at the top five batters who look potential candidates for the orange cap.
#1 Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals)
Jos Buttler’s skills to hit the white ball are simply unbelievable…creates angles, plays the field…and often doesn’t even bother about the fielders in the deep, for he deposits the ball 10 rows back. #IPL2022 #MIvRR
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) April 2, 2022
The Rajasthan right-handed batsman is leading the line, having scored 205 runs in just three games in IPL 2022. However, at the moment, Jos Buttler looks the favourite to win the orange cap with an average of 102 and 205 runs, having hit the 50s twice.
Ishan Kishan and Jos Butter were tied on the same runs (135), but yesterday Buttler produced a world-class batting scoring 70 runs on the course. Buttler has never won the orange and will be aiming to claim the prestigious cap this season.
#2 Ishan Kishan (Mumbai Indians)
Since making his IPL debut in 2016 for Mumbai Indians, Ishan Kishan has started to hit his strides. The left-handed batsman is in second place with 135 runs with an average of 135. Ishan Kishan has already hit the 50s twice and is on the mission to get his hands on that orange cap.
The Left-handed batsman has never won the cap and will be hoping to become the standout batter in this IPL. Now Mumbai faces KKR in the next game, Ishan Kishan will be buoyant to leapfrog Jos Buttler for the orange cap race.
#3 Faf du Plessis (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Du Plessis is representing RCB in this orange cap race and currently sits in the third position in the contest with 122 runs with an average of 40. Although the last time RCB batter won the cap was in 2016.
Their former captain Virat Kohli wore the cap in 2016 when he scored 973 runs with an average of 81. Hitting seven 50s and four 100s in the entire tournament. So, we will get to witness the new orange cap winner for the RCB team this season?
#4 Deepak Hooda (Lucknow Super Giants)
High Class Win 👊🏻 pic.twitter.com/vbwYWs9RNT
— Deepak Hooda (@HoodaOnFire) April 4, 2022
Deepak Hooda is the new face of this challenge; the Punjab Kings' Right-handed batsman should be proud of his batting expertise in this orange cap contest among top batters. The batsman has amassed 119 runs with an average of 39.
KL Rahul and Shaun Marsh were the only Punjab Kings batsmen to earn the most famous cap of IPL, and Deepak Hooda could be the new face for the Punjab Kings if we maintain his momentum until the end.
#5 Robin Uthappa (Chennai Super kings)
Game ready 🚀 #Yellove #WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/fTcljiT4xq
— Robin Aiyuda Uthappa (@robbieuthappa) March 31, 2022
The new batsman of Chennai Super Kings leads the fifth line for orange cap contention accumulating 91 runs in three matches for Chennai with an average of 30. Robin Uthappa knows how it feels to wear the orange cap, having won the reward in 2014 for Kings XI Punjab.
He smashed 660 runs averaging 44, and also scored five 50s. If he wins this season’s orange cap, Uthappa will become the second players to have won the cap twice in IPL alongside Chris Gayle, who attained this achievement consecutive times in 2010 and 2011.
David Warner tops the list with three orange caps, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
