IPL 2019: Top 4 contenders for the Orange Cap this season

IPL is one of the biggest tournaments in any cricket calendar. Though this year is a World Cup year, the craze for IPL is no less than the previous ones. High scoring games are becoming routine these days. The race for the Orange Cap is also going till the last week of the tournament every year. Let us look into the top four players who can win the orange cap this year.

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#4 Chris Gayle

The proverb: “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” suits Gayle more than anyone else. The 2018 IPL auction was shocking to everyone as the "Universe Boss" went unsold twice before Kings XI Punjab picked him. Last IPL missed the beast mode of the Jamaican though he showed residues of his best in few innings. The world thought he was old.

The universe does not have an end. How can its boss have one?

He showed his beast mode against the number one ODI team. After announcing his retirement in ODIs, he was playing his last home series against England. He scored 424 runs in 4 matches at a strike rate of 134. He hit 39 sixes in the series, which is a lot for a 39-year-old man.

With such a form, it will not be a big surprise if Gayle grabs the orange cap for the third time in his career and the first time for Punjab.

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#3 Virat Kohli

A list of top run-getters without Virat Kohli is always going to be incomplete. Kohli's international form is at a peak for quite a long time now. He has raised the expectations so high that fans expect him to score a century in every match he plays.

Kohli

Banglore has always been a paradise for the batsmen to score runs. Short boundaries and flat pitches will only add fuel to Kohli's fire. He holds the record for most runs in an IPL season with 973 in 16 matches in 2016. If he can repeat the 2016 season heroics, RCB may lift the IPL trophy this year.

#2 Rishab Pant

Pant

After finishing as the second-leading scorer for Delhi in last year's IPL, Pant has moved to great heights in his career. He is now a favorite to get the ticket to England for the World Cup as Dhoni's backup. He has started the IPL season in a good note with blistering 78 of just 27 balls.

His form in the upcoming matches will be crucial for his world cup hopes. Delhi capitals have given him the right position to bat at 4 or 5. This allows him to attack from the first ball he faces. If he can read the situations of the game better, he is surely going to be the top run scorer this season.

#1 David Warner

David Warner is back to his bright old days. He did not show any signs of rust in the first two matches of this year's IPL. The two knocks showed the hunger that Warner is having for runs. He has always been a force to reckon in IPL.

Warner's scores in his last three IPL seasons reads like this: 641 runs (Orange Cap in 2017), 848 runs (second only to Kohli's 973 in 2016), 562 (Orange Cap in 2015). Who knows what he might have done if he played in last year's IPL?

Warner

After back to back fifties in first two IPL outings since his return from the ban, Warner has announced himself at the biggest stage of T20 cricket. He will be more determined to win the Orange Cap than anyone else to bury his wrongs deep into the earth.

Special Mentions: Players like Nitish Rana, Robin Utthapa, Suresh Raina, Sanju Samson, and Rohit Sharma can be the dark horses if they are consistent for the next 45 days.