The mega auction has managed to reshuffle team combinations. Teams will really have to plug in their best XI each time they take the field. With all the league games scheduled to be played in Mumbai and Pune, this IPL will be a batting IPL for sure. As the wickets in these venues aid the batters, there will be an intense battle for the orange cap this season. Openers will revel batting in these conditions as they offer very little to the bowlers. In this article, we have discussed the Top 5 contenders for orange cap in IPL 2022.
We look at the Top 5 contenders for orange cap In IPL 2022:
#5 Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad has had a dream run in the last couple of years. He emerged as the leading run-getter in IPL 2021. He became the first uncapped player to win the orange cap last year. Gaikwad has been a domestic workhorse. He has great numbers playing list-A cricket. He averages nearly 48 in 59 games. Gaikwad has a solid defense and good awareness about where his off-stump is. He is good against both pace and spin. His strong foundation means he is a solid contender for the orange cap too.
#4 KL Rahul
KL Rahul’s IPL career took off when he joined Punjab Kings in 2018. Rahul has been a run bank for the last 4 years. He has scored in excess of 550 runs every single season from 2018. Rahul is one of the most feared T20 players in the circuit. He has the habit of playing well within himself. But him pairing up with Quinton De Kock/Evin Lewis will liberate him. If Rahul plays his natural game then there is no stopping him. He won it in 2020 expect him to do an encore in 2022.
#3 Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw had a fine IPL 2021. His quick fire starts played a key role in Delhi’s playoffs qualification. Shaw’s List A career is outstanding. In the 41 games he has played so far, Shaw has scored 2211 runs at an average of 58.2 and with a strike rate of 125. There hasn’t been a better young talent in India other than Shaw in the recent years. He was one of DC’s main weapon last year but his performances went largely unnoticed. Shaw needs a terrific IPL to get back into national reckoning. He is quite capable of having that great run too.
#2 David Warner
David Warner is an IPL legend. He led SRH to IPL glory almost singlehandedly in 2016. He finished with 848 runs that season. Warner incidentally finished second in the run-getters chart that year. He is a three time orange cap winner (2015, 2017, and 2019). Warner had a disappointing IPL 2021. He shrugged off the poor form winning the player of the series award in the T20 World Cup that followed. Warner will be keen to repeat his IPL heroics this season.
#1 Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer was KKR’s most prized acquisition in the mega auction. They wasted little him in declaring him as their captain. Iyer was DC’s most consistent player from the time he joined them in 2015. But in a strange turn of events, Iyer had to leave Delhi. He has been in rich run of form lately. Mumbai is Iyer’s home ground. He will love playing in at these venues. Iyer is likely to bat at number 3 for KKR. This gives him the opportunity to score 600+ runs this season. Iyer who is decent against pace and dangerous against spin will be vying for his maiden orange cap this season.
