The Orange Cap needs no special introduction. Introduced on April 25, 2008, a week after the first IPL commenced, the Orange Cap is worn by the batsman with most number of runs at the particular point of the tournament. When the tournament concludes, the batsman with the most number of runs eventually wins it. Brendon McCullum was the first player ever to wear one, his swashbuckling century in the opening game of the IPL helping him. Shaun Marsh was the winner of the Cap in the first season, as he plundered a staggering 616 runs. The then IPL commissioner Lalit Modi said, “Cricket is often remembered and recorded as statistics and not by material distinctions. The DLF Indian Premier League will create a distinction for the best performing batsman, which will be cherished and valued by each player through this initiative. The purpose of this initiative is to be innovative, create another unique piece of history that sets the DLF Indian Premier League apart from the crowd, and to reward outstanding achievements by the players.
“On the eve of the tenth edition of the coveted league, we take a look at the orange cap winners of the nine leagues gone by –
1) Shaun Marsh, KXIP, 2008.
Scoring 616 runs off 11 games, Shaun Marsh became the first player to win the orange cap, winning it in the first edition of the IPL.
2) Matthew Hayden, CSK, 2009.
Hayden, the phenomenal Australian powerhouse, scored 572 runs of 12 games to win the cap award in 2009. His power-hitting, driven mostly by a ‘Mongoose Bat’, captured the imagination of fans back then. The mongoose bat eventually went on to become a sensation thanks to Hayden’s antics with it.
3) Sachin Tendulkar, MI, 2010.
Continuing his red-hot form from International Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar went from strength-to-strength during the 2010 edition of the IPL and eventually became the first Indian player to win the orange cap, scoring 618 runs in 15 games. Flails, slashes, and unorthodox wild slogs weren’t Tendulkar’s forte; it were audacious pulls, flamboyant drives and orthodox slogs that ensured Tendulkar also wore the orange cap throughout the tournament, before eventually winning it.
4) Chris Gayle, RCB, 2011.
The man who hits sixes at will, considered as one of the greatest power-hitters in limited-overs cricket, has tasted unprecedented success in the IPL so far. In 2011, he proved his mettle as he hit humongous sixes at will, becoming a sensation among Indian fans. His 608 runs came off 12 innings, eventually helping him win the Orange Cap for the season.
5) Chris Gayle, RCB, 2012.
Gayle picked up from where he had left in the 2011 edition of the IPL and went on to win the Orange Cap yet again, becoming the only player to win the coveted cap twice. He scored 733 runs off 15 innings and thus broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most runs in a single season.
6) Mike Hussey, CSK, 2013.
After Tendulkar achieved the feat of winning an Orange Cap at the age of 37, Michael Hussey achieved it at the age of 38, thus becoming the oldest player to win the Cap, a record that still stands tall. Tendulkar and Hussey winning it at the age of 37 and 38 respectively speaks volumes about how important sound technique ultimately is, in whatever form of Cricket. Hussey also scored 733 runs but took an inning more than Gayle did.
7) Robin Utthapa, KKR, 2014.
The flamboyant former India opener who drives with grace and panache went through a purple patch and looked absolutely unbeatable, scoring 660 runs in 16 innings. Utthapa is one of the few batsmen who can drive, cut and pull with aplomb. He looks like he has a lot of time to play every shot he does, and that’s what makes him special.
8) David Warner, SRH, 2015.
The powerful Australian batsman whose big-hitting prowess is well-known was at his best during the 2015 edition of the league and plundered bowling attacks, scoring 562 runs of 14 games. He became the third Australian after Shaun Marsh and Mike Hussey to win the Cap.
9) Virat Kohli, RCB, 2016.
What do we say about Virat Kohli? The insanely talented genius has been walking past records like he’s strolling in the park. His unbelievable run scoring over the last couple of years has earned him the ‘run-machine’ tag. His impeccable shot-making and undefiled aggressive technique have made him the darling of the Nation. Kohli won the Orange Cap in the last edition of the IPL, scoring an astonishing 973 runs, shattering all previous records, of 16 games, scoring 4 centuries in process. All we can say is, it was all superhuman and unbelievable. While the IPL 2016 itself is already in the rearview mirror, Kohli’s jaw-dropping feat still remains freshly etched on the wind-shield.
