IPL 2018: 5 contenders for the Orange Cap

IPL 2018 is just a month away and fans are eagerly waiting for the season to start. The defending champions Mumbai Indians will be taking on the Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede on the 7th of April in the first match of the season.

The batsmen are the biggest attractions in the IPL and it would be interesting to see who wins the Orange Cap this year.

On that note, here are five of the biggest contenders for the Orange Cap this season:

#5 Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane would be looking to get his first Orange Cap this year

Ajinkya Rahane will be playing this year for the Rajasthan Royals franchise. He featured for the Jaipur based franchise previously from 2011-2015 and was extremely successful.

The batsman was initially with Mumbai Indians where he was underutilised. Rajasthan realised his potential and Dravid brought him to his side and asked him to open the batting. He was extremely effective at the top and even made it to the Indian team on the back of impressive performances for the Rajasthan Royals.

Rahane had a number of seasons where he was extremely close to getting the Orange Cap. He was the second highest run-getter in the 2015 season, missing out by just 22 runs. He was also the 4th highest run-getter in 2012 and was amongst the top 10 run getters in the 2016 and 2013 seasons.

#4 Suresh Raina

Raina is the leading run scorer in IPL history

Suresh Raina will be returning to the team in which he had begun his IPL career. Raina has played in all 10 seasons of the competition without missing a game for his sides but has been unable to win the Orange Cap despite being the highest all-time run-getter.

Raina has been amongst the top 10 run-getters in the IPL in 9 of the 10 seasons and has been among the top 5 run-getters in 6 of the 10 IPL seasons. He has been the most consistent batsman in IPL history and it is high time that he lays his hands on the Orange Cap.

#3 Virat Kohli

Kohli would do well to win the Orange Cap this year

Virat Kohli will in all likelihood bat at No. 3 for RCB this season. The Indian captain would have been the favourite to win the Orange Cap as an opener, but at the number 3 position, he is still a force to reckon with and one would expect him to put on a good show to help RCB win their first ever IPL trophy.

Kohli won the Orange Cap in the 2016 edition when he had scored four centuries to end up with 973 runs for the season. He definitely has the ability to repeat his 2016 exploits this year and end up as the highest run scorer of 2018 as well.

#2 David Warner

Warner would be looking to get the Orange Cap for the third time

David Warner has been a pillar of strength ever since being bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014. He played his first 5 seasons in IPL with Delhi Daredevils. The Hyderabad captain is a two-time winner of the Orange Cap. He was the highest run-getter in the 2015 and 2017 IPL tournaments and also scored 848 runs in the 2016 IPL season which was the main reason behind Sunrisers' victory.

Warner has an extremely impressive record in the IPL, having scored 4014 runs in 114 matches at a stupendous average of 40 with 3 centuries to his name.

#1 Chris Gayle

Gayle would try to answer his critics with the bat

Chris Gayle started his IPL career with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2009. His performances in the first two years were below par and therefore, he wasn't picked up by any of the franchises in the 2011 IPL Auction.

He was brought in as the replacement for Dirk Nannes by the Royal Challengers Bangalore and he turned the team's fortunes upside down in his very first season there. He was the Orange Cap winner in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

Gayle's performance though has dropped once again in the last 2 years. He wasn't retained by the Bangalore side and was overlooked by all the side in this year's auction twice before Kings XI Punjab finally decided to get him on board.

Gayle would be eagerly waiting for this year's IPL to prove his worth to his detractors.