The Orange Cap in IPL is an award that is presented to the leading run-scorer of the IPL. It is a reward to the Batsman for his outstanding display with the bat throughout the Season.
The Orange Cap in IPL was introduced on 25 April 2008, one week after the start of the first IPL season.
During the course of the tournament, the batsman with the most runs in the tournament would wear the Orange Cap while fielding and at the end of the tournament the highest Run scorer will be awarded the actual Orange Cap Award after the conclusion of the Finals.
Brendon McCullum was the first player to wear the Orange Cap in IPL while Shaun Marsh became the first winner of the Orange Cap Award.
David Warner is the first player to win the Orange Cap in IPL three times, he won it in 2015, 2017 & 2019. He did not play the 2018 Season due to the ball-tampering scandal but came back with a bang in 2019 scoring 692 Runs.
Virat Kohli holds the record for most runs in an IPL season, In 2016 he scored 973 Runs scoring four massive Centuries and seven fifties, and made the Orange Cap Award on his name.
Rules for Orange Cap in IPL
- This award is presented to the leading run-scorer of the season.
- During the season, the batsman with the most runs would wear the Orange Cap while in the field.
- In case of a tie, Batsman with a better strike rate wins the Orange Cap Award.
- The player wearing an Orange cap while fielding is allowed to wear the Orange Cap till the end of the innings even if the opposition batsmen overtakes him.
Now let’s have a look at the IPL Orange Cap Winners list
IPL Orange Cap Winners List
| SEASON | PLAYER | MATCHES | RUNS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Shaun Marsh (KXIP) | 11 | 616 |
| 2009 | Matthew Hayden (CSK) | 12 | 572 |
| 2010 | Sachin Tendulkar (MI) | 15 | 618 |
| 2011 | Chris Gayle (RCB) | 12 | 608 |
| 2012 | Chris Gayle (RCB) | 15 | 733 |
| 2013 | Michael Hussey (CSK) | 16 | 733 |
| 2014 | Robin Uthappa (KKR) | 16 | 660 |
| 2015 | David Warner (SRH) | 14 | 562 |
| 2016 | Virat Kohli (RCB) | 16 | 973 |
| 2017 | David Warner (SRH) | 14 | 641 |
| 2018 | Kane Williamson (SRH) | 17 | 735 |
| 2019 | David Warner (SRH) | 12 | 692 |
| 2020 | KL Rahul (KXIP) | 14 | 670 |
| 2021 | Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK) | 16 | 635 |
| 2022 | Jos Buttler (RR) | 17 | 863 |
| 2023 | TBD | TBD | TBD |