IPL 2023 will start on March 31st. Like every season, the Orange Cap will be one honour that will be chased by many. In the past, this award has directly enhanced the career of a few and in some cases, players winning the Orange Cap have helped their teams win the trophy. On that note, here, we take a look at four players who could win the Orange Cap in IPL 2023.
1) Jos Buttler – Rajasthan Royals
With 863 runs, Jos Buttler was the winner in IPL 2022. The Englishman scored his runs at a strike rate above 140. He was directly responsible for RR reaching the finals of the campaign.
Yet again, Buttler will be one of the names when it comes to who can win the Orange Cap in the upcoming season. He is at the peak of his career and with his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal also maturing in the last few months, Buttler will be in a good space to better his record in IPL 2023. Teams must find a way to stop Buttler or else, they could be giving a free ticket to the Royals for the playoffs.
2) KL Rahul – Lucknow Super Giants
KL Rahul is one of the players who could win the Orange Cap in IPL 2023. It was in 2020 that KL Rahul won the Orange Cap. Ever since then, he has been consistently behind the award, missing out on it on a few occasions by just a few runs.
This time around, Rahul will be desperate to win the Orange Cap. His position in the Indian T20I setup is in concern. The likes of Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi are doing well at the top and if Rahul has an under par campaign, he could, as well, get dropped from the team. Moreover, compared to the last season, LSG now has a better middle-order and hence, Rahul can express himself all the way to the Orange Cap.
3) David Warner – Delhi Capitals
Till now, David Warner has won the Orange Cap in three seasons. He is the only cricketer to have done that, so far. Yes, he might be in poor form but going by his IPL experience, Warner is all set for a strong season this year.
Moreover, he is also a skipper and there would be further motivation for Warner to do well. Prithvi Shaw will be a top partner for Warner. He will help Warner be at his best as the Mumbai cricketer takes on the bowlers at will during the powerplay.
4) Ruturaj Gaikwad – Chennai Super Kings
Ruturaj Gaikwad is also one of the players who could win the Orange Cap in IPL 2023. It was a difficult start to the season last year for Rutu. However, the IPL 2021 Orange Cap winner came back to form in the latter half of the season. Since then, he has been exceptional in domestic cricket.
Despite his brilliance at the domestic level, Ruturaj is not getting his chances with Team India. He will be desperate to bring down the door and the Orange Cap will be a confirmed route for that. At Chennai, the pitches would suit Rutu’s strengths and that is an advantage for him. Also, one of Devon Conway or Ben Stokes would open with him and either of them will complement Ruturaj’s batting approach well.
