IPL 2019: Can Suresh Raina regain his all-time IPL record?

Suresh Raina has been a prolific run scorer throughout the 12 seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL). In 189 matches (185 innings), the flamboyant player has amassed 5,291 runs with 37 fifties and a solitary hundred.

Fondly called “Chinna Thala” by the people in Chennai, Raina along with MS Dhoni have been the batting mainstays for CSK over the years. In fact, Raina has single-handedly won several matches for his team with his exuberant batting.

Very interestingly, despite the fact that the left-handed batsman has never won the Orange Cap in an IPL season till date, his impeccable consistency year after year had enabled him to proudly top the list of highest overall run-scorers until the beginning of IPL 2019.

A quick look at the Orange Cap Winners in the history of IPL

At the very beginning of this season, the CSK player with 4,985 runs was ranked at the number one position on the list of most runs in IPL history. He was closely followed by none other than the explosive Indian captain Virat Kohli, by a small margin of just 37 runs.

A snapshot of runs scored by Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli in IPL history (by year)

Considering Kohli’s exceptional batting form in recent years and his love affair with records, it looked very likely that the all-time Orange Cap record would switch hands this year. And that’s exactly what happened.

In 11 innings played by both players up until now this IPL season, the RCB captain has scored 448 runs compared to 306 by Raina. Consequently, the former has taken over the all-time Orange Cap, and currently leads by a margin of 105 runs.

With RCB unable to qualify for the playoffs again, Kohli has only one more game to increase his lead. However, CSK will play at least three more games before the end of the season, giving ample opportunity to Suresh Raina to regain his position at the top of the pile.

Should Kohli end the season with a low score and Raina with a few big innings in the upcoming games, there is a high possibility that Raina will once again own the record - until they meet again in IPL 2020.

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