IPL 2018 : 5 Players who can snatch the orange cap from David Warner this season

The 'Orange Cap' is an award presented to the leading run scorer in the IPL. The tradition to award cap was started a week after the start of the first season of IPL on 25 April 2008.

The batsman who is leading scorer after each match wears this orange cap while fielding. The overall leading run-scorer at the end of the tournament wins the actual Orange Cap award on the day of the season's final at the presentation ceremony.

Brendon McCullum became the first player to wear the Orange Cap, and Shaun Marsh was the first winner of the orange cap award.

Last year, it was won by David Warner.

Warner scored 641 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 141.81. This included one century and four fifties. The Australian is one of the most destructive hitters in world cricket today.

He was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014, and since then he is the crux of the team’s top order.

The Hyderabad outfit made Warner their captain and they were crowned as champions in 2016.

Warner has consistently scored more than 400 runs in an IPL season since 2013. He scored the highest 848 runs in 17 matches in 2016 which helped Sunrisers to lift its first IPL title. Warner will surely look to defend his title with all his might this season.

This year there are few players who will pose a tough challenge to Warner. They would do anything to snatch the orange cap from him.

Here are the five players who could end up as the highest run-getters this season.

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#5 Gautam Gambhir :

Gambhir has scored 4132 runs in 148 IPL matches

Gautam Gambhir was bought by Delhi Daredevils in the inaugural season and went on to score 534 runs in 14 matches and ended up as the second-highest run-scorer.

In 2011, he was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders for a record price of $2.4 million and they made him their captain.

An attacking opener and aggressive captain, Gambhir led KKR to victory in the IPL 2012 and 2014.

In his 148 matches in IPL, he scored 4132 runs which included 35 fifties. Gambhir is a fine player of spin and knows how to tackle pace and swing.

Gambhir returned to the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL 2018 auction after playing seven seasons with the KKR.

Gambhir has also shown some excellent form in the domestic season. Gambhir would like to perform for DD as the captain and score maximum runs for them. Gambhir would also want to snatch the orange cap for the first time.

#4 Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane has twice crossed the 500-run mark in IPL

Ajinkya Rahane was bought by the Rajasthan Royals by using the RTM card at this year's auction.

Rahane is a fine opener who is technically very sound and is the most trustworthy batsman for Rajasthan who can create a solid foundation for the team at the top of the order.

He has twice crossed the 500-run mark during his tenure with the franchise. The right-hand bat has scored over 4000 runs in the shortest format of the game including a century and 33 half-centuries.

Rahane has grown in terms of maturity as well as skills during his time with the Indian team. He will get lot of time at top of order to score lot of runs.

Rahane knows how to tackle pace and swing and he is a very fine player of spin and would aim to get the orange cap.

#3 Aaron Finch

Finch amassed 275 runs in 3ODIs at an average of 91.66 in 2018

Aaron Finch could give a surprise to everyone in the race for the orange cap. He is having a dream season this year.

In three ODIs in 2018, Finch amassed 275 runs at an average of 91.66. He was also fantastic in 2017 when he scored 405 runs in eight ODIs at an average of 50.66.

Finch is a solid top-order batsman who grabbed the limelight in 2013 by making a Twenty20 world-record 156 against England which also includes a record 14 sixes.

Finch is a hard-hitting batsman who is also known for finishing the game for his team. In his 36 T20Is, the Australian has scored 1206 runs at an average of 40.20 and a destructive strike rate of 151.69.

Finch was once ranked no.1 in ICC T20 batsmen's rankings. He has already featured in five IPL teams (Delhi Daredevils, Rajasthan Royals, Pune Warriors, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians) and was a part of Gujarat Lions in 2017.

Finch was picked by Kings XI Punjab for a price of 6.2 crores at this year's auction.

#2 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan has scored 341 runs in eight T20Is this year

Shikhar Dhawan is in red-hot form this year and has scored 341 runs in eight T20Is at a strike rate of 148.90.

Shikhar Dhawan first came to attention when he scored 505 runs with three hundreds in the 2004 U-19 World Cup.

A natural stroke-player, Dhawan is strong on the off-side with his cuts and drives and has the gift of picking the line of the ball early.

The left-hand opening batsman played for the Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2008 and scored 340 runs in 14 matches at an average of 37.77.

After being picked by Sunrisers Dhawan has consistently scored at the top order for them. In IPL 2017, he scored 479 runs in 14 matches thereby giving the team the solid foundation.

Dhawan will be keen to wear Orange Cap this year and will be one of the top contenders for the cap.

#1 Virat Kohli

Kohli has scored 4418 runs in 116 IPL matches

Virat Kohli is currently the best batsman in the world across all the three formats. He is often compared with cricket legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Viv Richards.

Kohli has been associated with RCB since the start of the IPL.

He was retained by the franchise this year ahead of the auction for an unbelievable amount of Rs 17 crores. The Indian captain is a world-class batsman who is phenomenal in chasing targets.

Kohli has scored 4418 runs in 116 IPL matches at a strike rate of 129.8 for RCB. In the 2016 season of the IPL, he scored a staggering 973 runs in 16 matches at an average of 81.08 and an explosive strike rate of 152.03.

He also scored four mind-blowing hundreds and seven fifties in that season. Virat is in remarkable form this season. In his six ODIs this year, Kohli has scored 558 runs with an astonishing average of 186.0.

Kohli would surely like to score a lot of runs for RCB to win its first IPL title and thus making him one of the top contenders on the list to snatch the orange cap from Warner.