3 players who won the Orange Cap more than once in IPL history ft. Virat Kohli
The latest edition of the Indian Premier League, IPL 2024, concluded with Kolkata Knight Riders hammering Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in the final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, May 26. Every year, the batter who scores the most runs in the competition is declared the winner of the Orange Cap.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru star batter Virat Kohli won the Orange Cap for the IPL 2024 season. While RCB yet again fell short of clinching their maiden title, Kohli was in exceptional form, clobbering 741 runs in 15 innings at an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.70.
Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad finished second in the list of leading run-getters, with 583 runs in 14 innings at an average of 53 and a strike rate of 141.16. Gaikwad was followed by Rajasthan Royals’ Riyan Parag (573 runs), SRH opener Travis Head (567) and RR skipper Sanju Samson (531).
Over the years, many prominent batters have won the Orange Cap in the IPL. However, there are only thre who have won it more than once. Let's take a look:
#3 Chris Gayle (2011 & 2012)
West Indies legend Chris Gayle is the only batter in the IPL to win the Orange Cap in consecutive years. He achieved the feat while representing Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2011 and 2012 seasons, coming up with some incredible batting performances.
Gayle hammered 608 runs in 12 innings at an average of 67.55 and a strike rate of 183.13 in IPL 2011, with two hundreds and three fifties. The 'Universe Boss' clobbered 107 off 49 against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in Bengaluru and 102* off 55 in a chase of 172 against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens.
In the IPL 2012 season, the left-handed batter slammed 733 runs in 14 innings at an average of 61.08 and a strike rate of 160.74, with the help of one hundred and seven half-centuries.
Gayle hammered 128* off 62 against Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in Delhi. He also slammed 87 off 56 against Punjab in Mohali and 86 off 58 in a losing cause against KKR in Kolkata.
#2 Virat Kohli (2016 & 2024)
Kohli features in the rare list of players who have won the Orange Cap more than once. He claimed the honor for the first time in the IPL 2016 season, when he clobbered 973 runs, a record for most runs scored in a single edition of the T20 league.
Kohli scored his runs in 16 innings, averaging 81.08 at a strike rate of 152.03. The RCB batter's exceptional stats included four hundreds and seven fifties.
The right-handed batter hit 113 off 50 against Punjab in Bengaluru, 109 off 55 against Gujarat Lions and 108* off 58 against Rising Pune Supergiants. Kohli also scored 100* off 63 against GL in Rajkot.
Leading the side, Kohli guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the final. However, they suffered a heartbreak in the summit clash at home, going down to Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight runs in a high-scoring contest. Kohli contributed 54 off 35 in the IPL 2016 final.
In this year's edition, Kohli totaled 741 runs at a strike rate of nearly 155, with one hundred and five fifties. The RCB star smashed 113* off 72 in a losing cause against RR in Jaipur. He also contributed 92 off 47 against PBKS in Dharamsala, 83* off 59 against KKR in Bengaluru and 77 off 49 versus Punjab in a home game.
#1 David Warner (2015, 2017 & 2019)
Aussie batting legend David Warner is the only player in IPL history to win the Orange Cap thrice. He achieved the honor in 2015, 2017 and 2019, topping the run charts in alternate years.
Warner smashed 562 runs for SRH in 14 innings at an average of 43.23 and a strike rate of 156.54, with seven half-centuries. The swashbuckling left-hander hammered 91 off 55 against KKR in Visakhapatnam and 81 off 52 versus PBKS in Hyderabad.
In IPL 2017, Warner slammed 641 runs in 14 innings, averaging 58.27 at a strike rate of 141.81, with one hundred and four fifties. The left-hander clubbed 126 off 59 against KKR in Hyderabad, 76* off 45 against Gujarat Lions in another home game and 70* off 54 versus KXIP, also in Hyderabad.
The Aussie run-machine topped the batting charts for the third time in the 2019 edition. This time, he smashed 692 runs in 12 innings at an average of 69.20 and a strike rate of 143.86, with one hundred and eight fifties. Warner hit an unbeaten 100 off 55 versus RCB, 85 off 53 against KKR in Kolkata and 81 off 56 against Punjab in Hyderabad.
Incredibly, Warner amassed 848 runs in the 2016 edition but didn't win the Orange Cap , as Kohli scored 973. The Australian batter, though, guided SRH to their maiden IPL triumph, beating RCB in the final by eight runs in Bengaluru.