IPL 2018: 5 surprise Orange Cap contenders

The contenders for the prestigious orange cap laurel are fairly obvious. One of Virat Kohli, David Warner, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers and Gautam Gambhir are expected to finish the upcoming tournament as highest run-scorer.

The IPL, owing to its dynamic nature, can spring a surprise much like it did in the first season with Shaun Marsh. The last three seasons, however, have seen expected batsmen in the form of Virat Kohli and David Warner win the Orange Cap. Can someone from outside these expected names come to the fore and surprise us by bagging the orange cap this year? Let us look at five candidates who can:

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#5 Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik will be looking to justify the Knight Riders' faith in him

32-year-old Dinesh Karthik has had a career revival of late. He has not only made a comeback in Indian colors but has also been made the captain of one of the most renowned franchises in the IPL, the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Dinesh Karthik scored 361 runs last season, even though he found himself being sent lower down the order on many occasions. He should find himself higher up the order in the Knight Riders batting lineup. He will be motivated to reaffirm his franchisee's faith in him by leading from the front.

With hard-hitters like Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa and Andre Russel in the squad, Dinesh Karthik will ideally play the role of a stabilizer in the team. All these reasons point to the fact that he should be in the runs this year, and could find himself near the top of the list of highest run-getters this year.

#4 Steve Smith

Steve Smith is as consistent with the bat as one can be

Steve Smith was unlucky to have not led his team to a title last season. He led the team from the front, finishing the season with an impressive 472 runs. Smith is one of the symbols of consistency in cricket in recent times.

After a two-season stint with the Rising Pune Supergiants, Smith is back to the Rajasthan Royals. As captain, he will be looking to amend his heartbreak from last season and lead his team from the front to a title this year.

Owing to an assured spot in the team and his consistency in scoring runs, Smith could end the upcoming IPL season as high-scorer.

#3 Shikhar Dhawan

Dhawan, who is in sublime form, will be looking to outscore his partner and captain, David Warner

Shikhar Dhawan is seldom taken seriously owing to the fact that in India's blue jersey, he has shown inconsistency on many occasions. However, in the IPL, that's not the case. He scored 479 runs last year and, 501 in the season before that. Along with David Warner, he is part of one of the best partnerships in IPL history.

Also, he is in stellar form in the international circuit as of now. After a spectacular series away from home in South Africa, he started the Bangladesh Sri Lanka tri-series brilliantly with 90 runs in 49 balls. His unforeseen consistency of late has been a pleasant surprise. He could pip his captain and opening partner, David Warner, who is the red-hot favorite to end as highest run-scorer, to the Orange Cap.

#2 D'arcy Short

D'arcy Short was the highest run-scorer in the recently concluded Big Bash League

The biggest revelation of the recently concluded Big Bash League was undoubtedly D'arcy Short. He was by far the best player of the tournament and, was the league's highest run-scorer by miles. He scored back-to-back nineties and immediately followed it up with a spectacular century. He scored 572 runs in 11 games at an average of 57.2. He did this at a strike rate of close to 150 too!

He continued his spectacular form for Australia, scoring some fine knocks for his country. It will be interesting to see how D'arcy Short will adapt to Indian conditions. Looking at the way he's batting though, he should be just fine. The only issue could be that, with Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer in the team, there is stiff competition for the overseas slots.

Could he be the top scorer in both the Big Bash as well as the IPL in the same season? We wouldn't rule him out just yet!

#1 Evin Lewis

Evin Lewis could wreak havoc in the IPL this year

Being touted to be the next Gayle is no joke. After all, Gayle has done things in the IPL that no one has been able to come close to doing. Evin Lewis has shown that he could be the one to emulate his countryman's miraculous feats. The 26-year-old has opened with Gayle on many occasions, and has even managed to be the more explosive of the two!

Lewis had a spectacular 2017 and has three international T20 centuries to his name, with a strike rate of close to 150. He smashed 371 runs in 12 games in the previous edition of the Caribbean Premier League. At INR 3.8 crores, he could prove to be the steal of the auction. The Wankhede has proven to be a fantastic batting pitch over the years, and Evin Lewis could set it on fire with his style of batting.

Don't be surprised if he walks away with this year's Orange Cap accolade!