Many batting greats have graced IPL over the years. They have produced memorable knocks and racked runs consistently. Orange cap recognizes the contributions of the most consistent batter in an IPL season.
Shaun Marsh was the first orange cap winner (616 runs), while Jos Buttler won the IPL 2022 orange cap, scoring 863 runs. Delhi Capitals’ David Warner holds the record for most orange caps, winning thrice. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli has the record for most runs in an IPL edition – 973 runs in the 2016 season.
Most Orange Cap Winner
Winning the orange cap is considered a tremendous achievement. To win it more than once is just sensational. David Warner and Chris Gayle are the two players to win multiple Orange Cap awards. The Aussie won in 2015, 2017, and 2019 seasons, while the ‘Universe Boss’ grabbed the ‘best batter’ prize in the 2011 and 2012 editions.
We recap Warner’s three orange cap-winning seasons.
IPL 2015 – 562 Runs
In his second season at Sunrisers Hyderabad, David Warner stole the show with the bat for the franchise. He started the season with back-to-back half-centuries – 53 and 57 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He brought up his half-century against RCB in just 24 balls.
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91 & 81
David Warner continued to pile on runs despite SRH struggling to find consistency. He made a stellar 91 against a quality Kolkata Knight Riders bowling attack, which had Morne Morkel, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, etc. The left-handed batter came close to a three-figure score again, scoring 52-ball 81 in the narrow victory over Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab kings) in Hyderabad.
Though SRH failed to make it to the playoffs, Warner ended the season with 562 runs at a strike rate of 156. He hit seven fifties and registered the most fours, too, with 65 fours. The then SRH captain became the third Australian after Shaun Marsh and Michael Hussey to win the orange cap.
IPL 2017 – 641 Runs
David Warner, who guided SRH to the trophy in the 2016 edition, struck an unbeaten 76 in SRH’s second game of the 2017 season. With scores of 49, 26, and 70* in the next three fixtures, Warner was in the running for the orange cap for a second time in three seasons.
126 off 59 Balls vs KKR
A splendid century against Kolkata Knight Riders in the league stage saw David Warner breaking several records. The Aussie became the first player to score a hundred in an SRH jersey. On his way to his third IPL hundred, he struck ten fours and eight sixes. The Hyderabad-based franchise exited the tournament after defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in the eliminator.
Warner was the top scorer in SRH’s last two matches and grabbed the orange cap award a second time. He amassed 641 runs, while second-placed Gautam Gambhir scored 498 runs in 16 outings.
IPL 2019 – 692 Runs
SRH had a new opening pair in the 12th edition of IPL. David Warner opened the batting with England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow. The duo was deadly as they stitched together a couple of century stands in the season. Warner made 69, 85, and 100* in SRH’s first three fixtures of the IPL 2019 season.
Remarkable Consistency
David Warner made 30+ scores in 10 of the 12 innings in the 2019 edition. He scored eight fifties and a hundred. It was a terrific example of consistency, and Warner walked away with the orange cap for a third time in five seasons. KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock finished second and third in the top run-getters chart.
Overtakes ‘The Universe Boss
With three orange caps, David Warner has the most orange caps. He overtook Chris Gayle’s record after winning the prestigious prize in the 2019 edition. In the upcoming season, the likes of Jos Buttler, KL Rahul, and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be hoping to grab their second orange cap and get close to Warner’s achievements.
Final Thoughts on IPL Most Orange Cap Winner
The IPL 2023 season promises quality cricketing action. The race for the orange cap, as always, will be exciting. Warner has what it takes to win a record fourth orange cap, and it would make him one of the all-time IPL greats.
