IPL 2020: 5 players who can win the Orange Cap this year

It has rarely happened in the IPL that a player who has won the Orange Cap has not been able to drive his team to the playoffs.

For a batsman to be able to win the Orange Cap in the IPL, he has to bat deep in most of the games. And a batsman batting deep allows the other stroke-players in the XI to bat around him and express themselves, which ultimately reflects in the team’s consistency with the bat.

The IPL is 12 years old now, and there are only three Indian players who have won the Orange Cap in the tournament so far. While Sachin Tendulkar did it in the third edition of the tournament in 2010, Robin Uthappa and Virat Kohli did it in 2014 and 2016 respectively.

The next edition of the IPL is only six weeks away. On that note, here are the 5 players who are most likely to win the Orange Cap in 2020 –

#1 KL Rahul

KL Rahul finished as the third highest run-scorer for India in T20Is last year, and he has carried his rich vein of form to 2020 as well. The 27-year old right-hander is leading the charts of the top run-getters for India in T20Is this year.

Rahul is someone who has many different gears in his batting. He generally goes after the bowling at the top as Chris Gayle, his opening partner at Kings XI Punjab, likes to take a bit of time upfront. However, as Gayle gets into his groove, Rahul changes his tempo and starts playing second fiddle.

The ability to bat at different tempos at different junctures of the game allows Rahul to achieve incredible consistency in T20 cricket.

Rahul will be captaining the Kings XI Punjab this year, and he will have to take the onus upon himself to guide the ship and bat for long periods.

#2 Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow has not been included in England’s Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka, which means he will be available for the Sunrisers Hyderabad from the first game itself.

Bairstow made his debut in the IPL last season and was able to make a huge impact straightaway. He scored 445 runs in just 10 games at an average of 55.62 and a strike rate of 157.24.

The English wicketkeeper-batsman would have been a contender for the Orange Cap last year as well if he hadn’t left the tournament early due to national duty. However, because of the fact that he is likely to play the entire IPL 2020, he is in with a chance this time around.

Bairstow has the rare ability to pierce the gaps in the field and at the same time generate a lot of power in his shots. He can hit a long ball, but has also got all the cricketing shots in the book.

It’s the combination of the touch and power game that makes Bairstow lethal in T20 cricket.

#3 David Warner

David Warner is the only player in the history of the IPL to have won the Orange Cap thrice. The Aussie left-hander won it for the first time in IPL 2015, and then replicated the feat in 2017 and 2019.

Warner has always been consistent in the IPL, and that is reflected in his numbers. He has scored more runs than any other overseas batsman in the IPL and is at No. 4 in the list of the all-time leading run scorers, behind Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina.

Warner is a different batsman as compared to the one he was when he had first burst on to the scene. He was an out-and-out swashbuckler in the initial few years of his career, but while that swashbuckling ability remains, he can now grind out the tough periods as well.

Warner is one of the most complete white-ball batsmen in the world at the moment, with no apparent weakness. The southpaw will be eyeing a fourth Orange Cap as he takes the field in IPL 2020.

#4 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma has not won the Orange Cap in the IPL so far. And one of the reasons behind that is he had never opened the batting in an entire season, before 2019 where he promoted himself up the order to partner Quinton de Kock.

Over the years Rohit has been able to make a match-winning impact for Mumbai Indians batting lower down the order, but he never had enough deliveries to face to get himself at the top of the run scoring chart. But he can surely do that opening the batting now, as he is probably the most dangerous Indian T20 batsman at this point in time.

Rohit is not a power hitter. He doesn’t smash the ball, he caresses it. There is no certain length which is ideal for Rohit from a bowler’s point of view; if you pitch it full, he can loft you down the ground and just as you drag your length, he can pull you in front of square as well.

Rohit is also extremely good against spin, using his feet to come down the track or rocking back to open up space square of the wicket on the off side. Once he gets on a roll, it’s very hard to stop Rohit.

#5 Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch is in the form of his life in white-ball cricket at the moment. It was only a couple of days ago that he was named the ODI cricketer of the year at Cricket Australia’s annual awards. The Australian limited overs captain will be playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2020.

ch, who is a natural opener, was tried in the middle order by his previous franchise Kings XI Punjab - and the experiment didn’t work. The 33-year-old couldn’t find his feet batting at No. 5-6, and it is unlikely that he will bat in the middle order for RCB.

Finch will probably be given the opening slot alongside Parthiv Patel, and he will have the opportunity to take advantage of the fielding restrictions upfront.

While the Aussie is very efficient against pace, he plays a bit of a high-risk game against spin. He doesn’t use his feet much and looks to go across the line most of the time, from the crease itself. However, his hand-eye coordination is so good that he generally manages to get himself into the right position to make a decent connection.

Finch’s recent form certainly makes him one of the players to watch out for in IPL 2020.