The thirteenth edition of IPL would be among the most watched editions and possibly the most followed tournament by the masses, and rightly so, the fans will finally get to witness the favorIte T20 cricketers in action, all under the same hood in the conditions of UAE, after a wait of five months.
Quite frankly, it has been a long wait for the cricket aficionados who had been rooting to see those gigantic sixes, beautiful cuts and drives, and those unconventional shots that could get them off their seats. Not to forget, the race to the top of the runs-tally and acquire the orange cap.
With that in mind, here’s the list featuring the top five players who could end up amassing the most number of runs this in IPL 2020.
Rishabh Pant ( Delhi Capitals )
The 22-year-old becomes a beast in the Indian T20 carnival. Extremely dominant on the leg side, any delivery bowled between middle and leg stump can be seen being dispatched for a boundary.
A jaw-dropping strike rate of 162.76, average of 36.17, tally of 1736 runs – all in mere 54 innings, that tells a lot of his destruction laying potency in the shortest format, and once set, he could steer the Capitals’ to a single-handed victory.
KL Rahul ( Kings XI Punjab )
Though he performed well in the 2016 season wherein he scored 4 fifties, it was the 2018 edition that solidified KL Rahul’s foot in IPL.
Batting as an opener for Kings XI Punjab, Rahul aggregated 659 runs averaging 54.92, which was followed by the 2019 edition where he clocked a tally of 593 runs while averaging 53.91.
The last couple of years have been a period of immense learning for the Karnataka cricketer and just the manner in which he has batted even in T20Is, one would want him to belt over 500 runs in the forthcoming season, and possibly grab the orange cap.
David Warner ( Sunrisers Hyderabad )
Cometh the hour, cometh the man – this quote suits best on David Warner, who is currently the highest run-getter in IPL among overseas players.
He has been one of the most consistent players in the Indian T20 tournament, having scored over 400 runs since the 2013 season, and averaging over 45 since the 2014 edition, in the process striking 38 fifties and a couple hundreds.
The southpaw is a three-time proud recipient of the orange cap, and with his flow of runs in the shortest format since last one year, one could possibly see him winning the orange cap this time as well.
Virat Kohli ( Royal Challengers Bangalore )
A one man army, Virat Kohli is surely one of the most anticipated batsmen and the way he has risen as a batsman in the Indian T20 tournament, one would want to see him dominating the batting charts this year as well.
He has got a list of IPL achievements under his belt, with the most notable ones being – most centuries by an Indian cricketer (5), most runs (5412), most runs in a season (973), and the only player to score a century in a 15-over game.
The much-needed break would have energized the RCB skipper as he goes stronger than ever in the thirteenth season of IPL.
Shubhman Gill ( Kolkata Knight Riders )
With the franchise deciding to part ways with Chris Lynn, the onus of scoring the bulk of runs now lies on the shoulders of a young Shubhman Gill, who perhaps had been waiting for more opportunities at the top order.
The Punjab lad had dazzled the cricket fraternity in the U-19 Cricket World Cup, which resulted in the 2-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders picking him up in the IPL 2018 edition.
It was only last season when Gill showcased how big a player he can be for the Knight Riders in crunch moments. As an opener, Gill scored 236 runs in 6 innings at an average and strike rate of 47.20 and 140.48.
His knock against Mumbai Indians, wherein he notched 45-ball 76 in the much-coveted game at Eden Gardens, gave a glimpse of his match-winning ability in crunch situations.
