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The 12th edition of the Indian Premier League is going to commence on the 23rd of March this year. With the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup starting on 30th of May, IPL will be closely followed by the cricketing fraternity across the globe to find out the in-form players heading into the quadrennial tournament.
Kane Williamson won the Orange Cap last season scoring 735 runs from 17 games. He was closely followed by Rishabh Pant, Lokesh Rahul, Ambati Rayudu and Shane Watson as the leading scorers of IPL 2018 season.
In this article, we are going to talk about one player from each IPL team who might be their leading run scorer in the upcoming season.
#1 Delhi Capitals - Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan, who started his IPL career for Delhi Daredevils( now Delhi Capitals), has come back to his home-based franchise after a decade. the Indian opening batsman is one of the most successful batsmen in IPL having scored 4057 runs in his 143 games.
Delhi Capitals traded him from SRH to bring in experience in the young batting line-up. He will be playing the sheet anchor role guiding the young attacking players like Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant.
Dhawan has scored 501, 479, 496 runs in the last three seasons making his case stronger to finish as the leading run scorer for DC this season.
#2 Rajasthan Royals - Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler has been a revelation for Rajasthan Royals last season. The middle-order batsman was asked to open the innings after their regular openers failed to deliver. Since then, Buttler changed RR fortunes by scoring tons of runs helping the Rajasthan based franchise to qualify for the playoffs.
The England wicketkeeper scored 548 runs last season at an impressive average 54.80. Though he may not be available for the last few games, Buttler has the potential to outscore his teammates this season.
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#3 Kings XI Punjab - Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal can exhibit his true potential in IPL this season. After making his debut for India, the Karnataka batsman will be oozing in confidence. He endured a disastrous 2018 IPL season as he was asked to play in his non-familiar position (one-down slot). He scored just 120 runs from his 11 games last season.
With KL Rahul not in good form and Chris Gayle not at his usual best, Mayank may be asked to open the innings this time. His ability to score big scores at the top of the order makes him an ideal candidate to be the leading run scorer for Kings XI Punjab.
#4 Sunrisers Hyderabad - David Warner
David Warner and Chris Gayle are the only two cricketers who have won the Orange cap twice in the IPL history. Warner won the Orange Cap in 2015 and 2017 by scoring 562 runs and 641 respectively.
He was banned from playing IPL 2018 after getting caught in the sandpaper gate scandal. The Australian opener will make a comeback this season and will be looking to showcase his potential right from the word go.
The left-handed will use the IPL platform to get match fit for the all-important ICC cricket World Cup. He has a lot to prove this time as he will make a comeback at the grand circuit after a year's absence.
Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on IPL news, IPL schedule, points table, live scores, fantasy tips and stats.
#5 Kolkata Knight Riders - Chris Lynn
Chris Lynn is one cricketer who has a lot of potentials, but yet to prove his worth at the international level. However, in IPL, last season, Lynn played a key part in KKR getting qualified for the knockouts.
The Australian batsman scored 491 runs last season for KKR; he was their leading run scorer. This season he has a lot more to prove. A fantastic 2019 IPL season may earn him a World Cup ticket. He will be looking to make use of IPL to garner the selectors' attention.
With Narine, Uthappa, and Rana filling the top-order slots for KKR, Lynn is all set to be KKR's leading scorer once again.
#6 Mumbai Indians - Quinton de Kock
Mumbai Indians' new-entrant can change their opening woes this season. Suryakumar Yadav was the make-shift opening batsman for Mumbai Indians last season. Despite having a decent campaign, he never set the IPL on fire. His opening partner Evin Lewis struggled to make his presence count last season. This made the three-time champions to trade de Kock from RCB.
Looks like the deal is a bargain buy as the South African batsman hit the form at the right moment. His ability to score big and quick makes him a potent force. With Rohit Sharma, coming in the middle-order there are not many potential candidates in MI squad to challenge the South African in the leading runs criterion.
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#7 Royal Challengers Bangalore - Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli was not at his usual best last season for RCB. Despite scoring 530 runs in IPL 2018, the Indian captain did not look entirely convincing. The burden of captaincy might have impacted his performance last season. Yet, Kohli was RCB's leading scorer.
The RCB captain would like to inspire his team through his impressive batting this season. With World Cup around the corner, Kohli will look to make every opportunity count. Since he is opening the batting for RCB, it is most likely that he will be the leading scorer for the Bangalore-based franchise.
In 2016, Virat Kohli scored a whopping 973 runs which is the highest individual score in a season in IPL history.
#8 Chennai Super Kings - Ambati Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu was a revelation for CSK last season. The Indian middle-order batsman scored runs while opening the batting, playing in the middle-order or coming low down the order. His consistent run helped CSK to win their third IPL title last season.
The right-handed batsman finished as the fourth leading run-scorer last season with 602 runs; he finished above the Indian captain Virat Kohli. Rayudu is most likely to open the innings for CSK this season too.
Rayudu will look to make use of this opportunity to cement his place in the Indian playing XI and will provide extra motivation for him to do better.
Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on IPL news, IPL schedule, points table, live scores, fantasy tips and stats.
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