3 reasons why Suryakumar Yadav can win the Orange Cap in IPL 2023
Mumbai Indians (MI) might have pulled off arguably the best retention in IPL history when they kept hold of Suryakumar Yadav for just INR 8 crore ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction. SKY didn't have a great IPL 2022 by his own lofty standards, but the star batter hasn't looked back since his hundred against England at Trent Bridge.
On the back of a staggering 1164 runs in 31 T20Is in 2022, Suryakumar Yadav won the ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year award. With an average of more than 46 and a strike rate of almost 190, SKY proved why he is deservingly the No. 1 ranked T20I batter in the world.
MI had a horrible IPL 2022 season, finishing rock bottom of the standings. However, with a top T20 batter like Yadav, they can fancy their chances of winning a sixth title.
On that note, let's take a look at three reasons why Suryakumar Yadav can score the most runs in IPL 2023 and win the Orange Cap:
#3 Suryakumar Yadav started 2023 with a bang
Starting the year right 🏆🇮🇳 https://t.co/Kb46lOALhT
While many might have thought that it would be difficult for Suryakumar Yadav to sustain the level of dominance in T20Is that he showed in 2022, SKY proved that he is just getting started.
India's stand-in T20I vice-captain smashed a half-century and his third T20I hundred against Sri Lanka, showing that the rich vein of form is still intact. MI will hope that the red-hot form that Yadav has shown at the international level is something that he will be able to replicate in IPL 2023.
#2 SKY will most probably bat at No. 3
Man of the match for our Mr. Dependable Suryakumar Yadav. No.3 is the best position for him. https://t.co/L0s94xVZPW
Suryakumar Yadav has batted in almost every position in the top five for MI over the years. However, he has shown time and again that he is at his best when he is able to dictate terms to the opposition in the middle overs at No. 3.
MI had a bit of inexperience in their batting last year and maybe that's why they slid Suryakumar Yadav down the batting order. However, given how destructive he has been over the last year, Mumbai will want SKY to play all 14 games at that No. 3 position.
This will not only help Yadav to have a bigger impact with the bat, but he will also get more deliveries to face and have a better chance of winning the Orange Cap.
#1 SKY showed that he can score a truckload of runs at a high strike rate
Innings taken to reach 1500 T20 international runs
Virat Kohli - 39 inns
Babar Azam - 39 inns
KL Rahul - 39 inns
Md Rizwan - 42 inns
Surya Kumar Yadav - 43 inns
Chris Gayle - 44 inns
Faf Du Plessis - 50 inns
SKY is the only one to have reached the landmark at 150+ Strike Rate https://t.co/c3VRWvZb5V
The likes of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been prolific in run-scoring when it comes to T20I cricket over a period of time. However, there was always a debate about whether it is possible to maintain an incredibly high strike-rate and also be consistent at the same time.
SKY ended the debate by scoring the most number of T20I runs by an individual in 2022 at a mind-boggling strike rate. This level of consistency will be the biggest factor that will put him as one of the front-runners to win the Orange Cap this IPL season.