IPL 2019: Top 4 contenders for the Orange Cap this season

IPL is one of the biggest tournaments in any cricket calendar. Though this year is a World Cup year, the craze for IPL is no less than the previous ones. High scoring games are becoming routine these days. The race for the Orange Cap is also going till the last week of the tournament every year. Let us look into the top four players who can win the orange cap this year.

#4 Chris Gayle

The proverb: “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” suits Gayle more than anyone else. The 2018 IPL auction was shocking to everyone as the "Universe Boss" went unsold twice before Kings XI Punjab picked him. Last IPL missed the beast mode of the Jamaican though he showed residues of his best in few innings. The world thought he was old.

The universe does not have an end. How can its boss have one?

He showed his beast mode against the number one ODI team. After announcing his retirement in ODIs, he was playing his last home series against England. He scored 424 runs in 4 matches at a strike rate of 134. He hit 39 sixes in the series, which is a lot for a 39-year-old man.

With such a form, it will not be a big surprise if Gayle grabs the orange cap for the third time in his career and the first time for Punjab.

#3 Virat Kohli

A list of top run-getters without Virat Kohli is always going to be incomplete. Kohli's international form is at a peak for quite a long time now. He has raised the expectations so high that fans expect him to score a century in every match he plays.

Banglore has always been a paradise for the batsmen to score runs. Short boundaries and flat pitches will only add fuel to Kohli's fire. He holds the record for most runs in an IPL season with 973 in 16 matches in 2016. If he can repeat the 2016 season heroics, RCB may lift the IPL trophy this year.