IPL 2018: 5 players who can win the orange cap this season

One blink and the Indian Premier League is already about to enter its third week. Two weeks of frenetic action, two weeks of close matches, two weeks of dismal surrenders, two weeks of personal milestones, two weeks of unknown heroes popping up, two weeks of typical Twenty20 cricket has passed us!

T20 is inherently a batsman's game, it is about clobbering colossal sixes and muscling the bowlers for boundaries. It is also about piling on big scores and enthralling the audiences.

On that note, we take a look at the five possible candidates for the orange cap this season, five batsmen who have started off in a positive vein and might well jostle it out for the baton of the top-scorer this season.

#5 Sanju Samson

He might be only 23, but Sanju Samson is an IPL veteran and this season might well be his breakthrough one.

Playing for the Rajasthan Royals, Samson bats in the top order and is looking the part this year. He comes out to bat and peels off runs for fun and his contributions are vital to the Rajasthan Royals' scheme of things.

Currently, after four matches, Samson has scored 185 runs at an average of 61.66 and with a strike rate of 158.11.

#4 Nitish Rana

Another young man who is forcing people to sit up and take notice is Nitish Rana. Like Samson, Rana bats in the top order and has the ability to not only play his strokes, but also guard the wickets if need be.

He is a great buy for the Kolkata Knight Riders as the southpaw has already won two Man of the Match awards so far.

In five matches, Rana has scored 162 runs at an average of 40.50 and with a strike rate of 138.46.

However, his biggest challenge would be to maintain this consistency as teams will now put in specific plans to counter him in the remaining matches.

#3 KL Rahul

The Karnataka batsman is a regular in the Indian Test side but cools his heels against the white ball. This season he is batting to drive home a message that he belongs to all the three formats.

His strokeplay for the Kings XI Punjab has been majestic and he looks to be in the groove. What makes this season promising for him is that he has looked to play genuine cricketing strokes and has not gone searching for too many cheeky dabs and sweeps.

Rahul has already scored the fastest IPL 50 and looks all set to go big this season.

In four matches, he has scored 153 runs at an average of 38 and with a strike rate 171.

#2 Chris Gayle

From remaining unsold to scoring the fastest hundred this season, Chris Gayle, the man who has revolutionized T20 cricket, is out again to put his detractors to sleep.

Kings XI Punjab acquired his services at the fag end of the auctions this year and the Jamaican is determined to prove to the rest of the world that he still is the boss of this format.

In only two matches, Gayle has plundered 167 runs at an average of 167 and with a strike rate of 173.95.

He seems to be in control of what he is doing and if this is the trend, Punjab might well end up champions this season.

#1 Virat Kohli

No batting chart is ever complete without the mention of Virat Kohli and despite his team faltering yet again, the skipper of the Royal Challengers Bangalore is holding the flag high by peeling off runs, yet again.

With two half-centuries already in four matches, Kohli has already scored 201 runs at an average of 67 and with a strike rate of 142.55.

His form with the bat might not translate into victories for his side, but it might well inspire others around him to put their best foot forward.

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