10 years of IPL: Orange Cap Winners over the years

The Indian Premier League has completed 10 years and is the most attended and the most watched cricket league in the world. It started a trend of franchise based cricket and many more such competitions have come up in different parts of the world after the success of the IPL.

The IPL is the melting pot of talent from all over the world and fans have been treated to some extraordinary performances over the past few years. In order to encourage and recognize such brilliant performances the concept of the Orange Cap was proposed which would be given to the leading run-scorer in the IPL. So, who have been the recipients of the Orange Cap over the years?

Let us have a look.

2008 - Shaun Marsh (Kings XI Punjab), 616 runs

Son of the famous Geoff Marsh, Shaun Marsh is one of the most talented but inconsistent batsmen for Australia over the last decade. He came into the first edition of the IPL as a relatively unknown quantity, but took the league by storm. He ended the season with a whopping 616 runs from just 11 matches at a staggering average of 68.44. He also maintained a very healthy strike rate of around 140. With five fifties and a solitary hundred, he announced himself to the world stage with his tremendous display of controlled batsmanship.

2009 - Matthew Hayden (Chennai Super Kings), 572 runs.

Matthew Hayden was at his belligerent best in the 2009 edition of the IPL.

This big burly left-handed batsman was an absolute bully at the top of the order for Australia. Tall and powerfully built he struck fear in the minds of the bowlers with his aggressive batting. He has his best season of the IPL with CSK in 2009 when he racked up an impressive 572 runs in 12 matches. He scored his runs at a very healthy average of 52 and an impressive strike rate of 144. His awesome display of batting proved that the shortest format of the game is not only limited to the young players.

2010 - Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai Indians), 618 runs

The Master in action for the Mumbai Indians.

If there were not enough records to his name already, the greatest cricketer of his generation - Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar added another feather to his cap when he finished the 2010 edition of the IPL as the highest run scorer. He scored a total of 618 runs in the entire edition- the highest ever in the IPL till then, at a healthy average and strike rate of 47.53 and 132.61 respectively. He also hit a staggering 86 boundaries in the IPL that year.

2011 - Chris Gayle (Royal Challengers Bangalore), 608 runs

Chris Gayle in action for RCB.

Chris Gayle at his best is perhaps the most devastating and destructive batsman in the history of T20 cricket. In the first three editions of the IPL he failed to find his touch so much so that he went through the auction unsold after being left out by the Kolkata Knight Riders. However, Dirk Nannes suffered an injury and RCB brought Gayle as his replacement - a decision which proved to be a masterstroke. Gayle emerged with the orange cap in the 2011 edition after scoring 608 runs in just 12 matches - an average of 67.55. He scored those runs at a staggering strike rate of 183.13 and also struck two centuries in the process.

2012 - Chris Gayle (Royal Challengers Bangalore), 733 runs

Chris Gayle won back to back Orange Caps in the IPL.

After a wonderful 2011 season, Chris Gayle continued his great form in the 2012 edition of the IPL as well. He plundered the bowlers to all parts of the ground as he scored a record 733 runs in the entire edition at an average of 61. He also hit more sixes than fours - 59 to 46 as he truly established himself as a crowd favorite at the Chinnaswamy.

2013 - Michael Hussey (Chennai Super Kings), 733 runs

Michael Hussey was integral part of the CSK lineup.

Popularly known as 'Mr. Cricket' for his consistency across all formats of the game, Hussey played a very important role for the Chennai franchise at the top of the order. He provided solidity to the CSK team, allowing the hitters like Raina and Dhoni to prosper. He won the Orange Cap in the 2013 season after scoring 733 runs at an impressive average of 52 and a strike rate of 129.

2014 - Robin Uthappa (Kolkata Knight Riders), 660 runs

Robin Uthappa in action for KKR.

This talented stroke maker from Karnataka had a few quiet seasons in the IPL before finally unleashing his true potential in the 2014 edition for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He was the most consistent performer of the season as he racked up eight consecutive 40+ scores, a T20 record at that time. He scored a total of 660 runs for the season with five fifties. His impressive performance at the top of the order played a major role in KKR's championship winning run.

2015 - David Warner (Sunrisers Hyderabad), 562 runs

David Warner is Hyderabad's Mr Consistent.

This pocket sized dynamo from Australia has been the most consistent performer for the Hyderabad franchise over the past three years. As a captain, he leads the team from the front with his aggressive batting and proactive decisions on the field. He won the Orange Cap in 2015 season after scoring 562 runs in the entire edition with a highest score of 91. He also hit seven fifties in the process and almost single-handedly won a few matches for his side in the group stages.

2016 - Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore), 973 runs

The run machine - Virat Kohli.

Virat Kohli has an insatiable appetite for runs and this was quite evident in the 2016 edition of the IPL. He scored a staggering 973 runs - 240 runs more than the previous record of the highest runs scored in a single edition of the IPL. Many players fail to score even a single century in their T20 careers - Virat Kohli scored four hundreds in just 16 matches over the course of the season. He scored those runs at a Bradmanesque average of 81.08 and a strike rate in excess of 150.

2017 - David Warner (Sunrisers Hyderabad), 641 runs

David Warner ha fantastic IPL 2017.

David Warner hit a purple patch in the IPL after becoming the captain of the Hyderabad franchise and this continued in 2017 as well. When the rest of the team struggled, Warner batted with exemplary ease as he scored a total of 641 runs with a highest score of 126 to win the Orange Cap that year. However, he received little support from the other batsmen as his team failed to defend their title losing to KKR in the eliminator.