IPL 2020 Orange Cap: KL Rahul is the new leader after record-breaking 132 but might lose the spot tonight

KL Rahul smashed the highest individual score by an Indian in IPL history as the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) defeated the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 97 runs at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday. The result was KXIP’s second-biggest victory in terms of runs.

KL Rahul’s unbeaten 132 off 69 balls not only helped KXIP gain the upper hand going into RCB’s innings, but it also put the KXIP captain at the top of the IPL 2020 ‘Orange Cap’ list with a cumulative total of 153 runs. He scored a 19-ball 21 in their opening fixture against the Delhi Capitals (DC) on Sunday.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman Faf du Plessis has gone down to second spot with 130 runs under his belt. In third spot is yet another KXIP opener – Mayank Agarwal. Though he got castled for a 20-ball 26 last night, his 89-run knock versus DC means that he remains one of the top contenders for the IPL 2020 ‘Orange Cap’.

IPL 2020 Orange Cap list

CSK's Faf du Plessis might move to the top of the IPL 2020 'Orange Cap' list tonight (Image Credits: Sportskeeda)

20-year-old Devdutt Padikkal, who broke into the top 5 after scoring 56 runs on his IPL debut against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Monday, was out for one last night. He is 12th on the list.

There wasn’t any further change in the table as KL Rahul did the bulk of the batting (read damage), while hardly any of the RCB batters got going in the second essay.

However, there might be some changes at the top of the pile as CSK take on DC tonight in Dubai. While second-placed du Plessis would look to cut down the 23-run gap with KL Rahul – if not wrest the IPL 2020 ‘Orange Cap’ once again – one shouldn’t be surprised if DC skipper Shreyas Iyer breaks into the top 5.

Having missed Tuesday's game against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), if seventh-placed Ambati Rayudu is fit to play tonight, he would also look to follow up on his 71-run knock against the Mumbai Indians (MI) and move into the podium positions.

Above Iyer though, is Stoinis, who scored a match-changing 53 off 21 balls in their opening match against KXIP, and he will also be eyeing a move up the table. KL Rahul overhauled Rishabh Pant’s 128 not out to script history last night. Will the DC wicketkeeper-batsman have a shot at redemption against CSK tonight?

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