"Orange Cap is one of the silliest awards to give away in the IPL" - Dinesh Karthik
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has described the Orange Cap as one of the silliest awards to give away in the Indian Premier League (IPL). According to Karthik, finishers and impact players influence T20 results a lot more than top-order batters.
The Orange Cap in the IPL is given to the player who scores the highest number of runs in a season in the T20 league. Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain KL Rahul won the Orange Cap in IPL 2020.
In an interview with Aakash Chopra on YouTube, Karthik discussed the significance of finishers in T20 cricket. He also opined that people need to measure stats differently when it comes to the 20-over format of the game.
"I think the Orange Cap is one of the silliest awards to give away in the IPL. They (the organizers) could think of it in a much better way. Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell would never win the Orange Cap because they would not get the runs a Rohit Sharma or a Quinton de Kock or any other opener gets.
"What they would do though is influence a lot more matches with their batting than the openers during the course of a season. We are still in that number of runs and those kind of things. But (in T20Is) it comes down to that impact things."
Karthik is currently in the UK on commentary duty for the India-England series. Although he is still hopeful of playing for India, he asserted that he wouldn’t have any regrets if the opportunity didn’t come his way.
My focus in T20 cricket is to get a boundary off the first 3-4 balls: Dinesh Karthik
Known as a touch player for most of his career, Karthik has tried to reinvent himself in the last few years as a finisher in T20Is. He even played an incredible cameo to help India win the 2018 Nidahas Trophy.
Asked how difficult it was for him to adapt to a new role, considering he has never been a power-hitter, Karthik said that he has worked around his limitations and found a way to deliver results. The Tamil Nadu batter explained:
"Between overs 18 and 20, the highest strike rate in the last four years in the IPL, I think No. 1 is me and then comes everyone else. The difference between them and me is they are power hitters while I am a touch player. I can’t hit a 100-metre six but I can definitely hit a 60-metre six.
"And what I can do better than them is the reverse scoops or try and get under the bowlers' nerves by playing with their fields. I can definitely step out and hit a first-ball six. So I have to find ways to hit those boundaries in the right way. My focus in T20 cricket is to get a boundary off the first 3-4 balls."
Dinesh Karthik will be seen in action for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) when the second half of IPL 2021 resumes in the UAE in September.