The 13th edition of the Indian T20 League got underway in the UAE this year with a curtain-raiser pitting defending champions Mumbai against last year’s runners-up Chennai, and the action has been hot and heavy ever since.
While we continue to bring you up-to-date coverage of all the matches, we have decided to travel back to the years gone by and give you the list of Orange Cap holders right from the start of the league till the present day.
2008 Orange Cap: Shaun Marsh (Punjab)
The inaugural edition of the Indian T20 League saw veterans like Gautam Gambhir, Sanath Jayasuriya and even Graeme Smith battling for the Orange Cap, but a certain Shaun Marsh, playing for Punjab, won the race by scoring 616 runs in 11 games at a whopping average of 51.44. His tenure had five half-centuries and one ton.
2009 Orange Cap: Matthew Hayden (Chennai)
Matthew Hayden had answers to everything that the bowlers had in store, and his best performance came in 2009 with Chennai when he scored 582 runs in 12 innings at an average of 52.00. The southpaw, apart from scoring five half-centuries during the edition, smashed 60 boundaries and 22 sixes.
2010 Orange Cap: Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai)
In 2010, Mumbai made it to their first final and a majority of the credit goes to Sachin Tendulkar, who topped the batting chart with 618 runs in 15 innings at an average of 47.54. His five half-centuries during the tournament included 86 boundaries and three sixes.
2011 Orange Cap: Chris Gayle (Bangalore)
Arguably the most entertaining T20 player ever, Chris Gayle had to wait as many as four years to get a hand on his first-ever Orange Cap. In 2011, playing for Bangalore, the big West Indian scored 608 runs in 12 innings at an average of 67.55 to finish on the top.
2012 Orange Cap: Chris Gayle (Bangalore)
For the second year running, Chris Gayle topped the run-scoring chart, this time by smashing 733 runs in 14 innings; more than 100 runs clear of second-placed Gautam Gambhir.
2013 Orange Cap: Michael Hussey (Chennai)
In 2013, Chennai made it to their second successive final, only to lose it for the second time against Mumbai. During the campaign, Australia’s Michael Hussey played a big role as he finished on the top of the scoring table with 733 runs in 17 innings at an average of 52.35.
2014 Orange Cap: Robin Uthappa (Kolkata)
Kolkata lifted their second Indian T20 League title in 2014 and a majority of credit for that title triumph goes to Robin Uthappa, who – after scoring 660 runs in 16 innings – was given the Orange Cap.
2015 Orange Cap: David Warner (Hyderabad)
David Warner has been one of the most successful batsmen in the Indian T20 League. He is, in fact, the only player to win three Orange Caps, and the first came in 2015 while playing for Hyderabad. That year, the hard-hitting Aussie scored 562 runs in 14 innings to finish on the top.
2016 Orange Cap: Virat Kohli (Bangalore)
In 2016, Bangalore made it to their third final. For the third time running, however, fortunes favoured their opponent, and their captain, Virat Kohli had to settle with the season’s Orange Cap after scoring a whopping 973 runs in 16 innings at an average of 81.08. It remains the record for the most runs scored in a single season.
2017 Orange Cap: David Warner (Hyderabad)
A season after guiding Hyderabad to glory, Warner once again terrorised the opposition bowlers by scoring 641 runs in 14 innings of the 2017 Indian T20 League season.
2018 Orange Cap: Kane Williamson (Hyderabad)
Hyderabad’s domination in recent years has been exhilarating, to say the least. Despite not having David Warner in the ranks for the 2018 season, Kane Williamson managed to win the Orange Cap after scoring 735 runs in 17 innings at an average of 52.50.
2019 Orange Cap: David Warner (Hyderabad)
David Warner’s partnership with Jonny Bairstow blossomed to an entirely new level in the 2019 edition of the tournament. It was, however, the former who ended up as the tournament’s top-scorer despite playing fewer games. The Aussie southpaw scored 692 runs in the season at an average of 69.20.
2020 Orange Cap: KL Rahul (Punjab)
Punjab captain KL Rahul won the Orange Cap in 2020 after he amassed 670 runs in 14 matches at a magnificent average of 55.83 and a strike rate of 129.34. He hit one hundred and five fifties in the tournament. Despite Rahul's staggering form, Punjab finished sixth in the Indian T20 League 2020 standings.
2021 Orange Cap: Ruturaj Gaikwad (Chennai)
Chennai's Ruturaj Gaikwad pipped his opening partner Faf du Plessis to bag the Orange Cap in the 2021 edition of the Indian T20 League. Gaikwad accumulated 635 runs in 16 matches at an average of 45.36 while maintaining a strike rate of 136.27. On the other hand, du Plessis had scored 633 runs in 16 matches at an average of 45.21 and a strike rate of 138.21. The opening duo helped Chennai clinch their fourth Indian T20 League title after they defeated Kolkata by 27 runs in the final.
Featured photo: IPL
