Mountain of runs: All the Orange Cap winners in IPL History

The Indian Premier League has evolved as one of the biggest platforms for players across the world to showcase their talent. Every year, the cricketers who do well in the tournament are awarded for their performance for the whole season. Among these, the batsman who scores the most runs in a particular season wins the coveted orange cap. In this article, we will be discussing the performance of all those players who won the orange cap in each season.

Orange Cap Holders in IPL History

In the very first year i.e. 2008, Australia’s Shaun Marsh was the highest run-getter and became the first winner of the orange cap. He aggregated 616 runs in 11 innings while playing for the Punjab team, and averaged 68.44 with the bat. In the next season of IPL, again an Aussie took the orange cap, and this time it was CSK’s Matthew Hayden who slammed 572 runs at an average of 52 and strike rate of 144.81.

IPL 2010 was the first season when an Indian won the orange cap. Sachin Tendulkar top-scored with 618 runs at an average of 47.53 including 5 half-centuries. The next year, Chris Gayle topped the batting charts with 608 runs coming from 12 innings at an incredible strike rate of 183.13. Gayle hit 2 hundreds and 3 fifties while playing for Bangalore this season. Gayle continued his terrific form next year as well and won the orange cap in consecutive seasons. This year he amassed 733 runs, which was a record for most runs scored in a season that time.

Mike Hussey while playing for CSK in 2013 accumulated exactly the same runs as Gayle scored the previous year. The left-hander hit 6 fifties with a high score of 95 in 17 innings. He was crucial in taking the team to the finals. Robin Uthappa rekindled his form in the 2014 season as he smashed record-breaking 660 runs, most by an Indian in an IPL season till that time.

Virat Kohli:

973 runs, 88.45 average, Orange Cap, MVP

“I’m gutted for fans we could not cross the line.”#Class pic.twitter.com/pORihet0nN

— ScoopWhoop Unscripted (@scoopwhoopnews) May 29, 2016

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner currently holds the record for winning the orange cap for the most times in the tournament. He was the highest run-getter in 2015, 2017 and 2019. However, he could not get support from other batsmen of the team in these years and lifted the team on his own shoulders. His highest run tally in a season came in 2016 when he was at second spot with 848 runs in 17 games. Sunrisers were successful in winning the trophy that year.

The record for most runs in a single season belongs to the captain of India and Royal Challengers Bangalore i.e. Virat Kohli. Virat won the orange cap in 2016 as he amassed 973 runs in 16 innings at an average of 81.08. He smacked 4 centuries and 7 half-centuries as well in the season and helped the team fight till the final.

In the 2018 season, Kane Williamson had 735 runs to his name while leading the side with 8 fifties in total. He scored at an average of 52.50 and a strike rate of 142.44. In last year’s IPL, it was again a captain who won the orange cap. KL Rahul while leading the Punjab side top-scored 670 runs from 14 innings at an average of 55.83. He smashed 1 hundred and 5 fifties in 2020 with a high score of 132 not out against Bangalore.

IPL Orange Cap winners list