IPL 2024 Orange Cap: Travis Head moves to second spot, Virat Kohli still tops the list

New Delhi: Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Travis Head celebrates his half century during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, Saturday, April 20, 2024. (PTI Photo/Arun Sharma) (PTI04_20_2024_000262B)

Travis Head surged into contention among the leading run-scorers of the 2024 Indian Premier League season following his explosive innings of 89 against the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.

Having amassed 324 runs from six innings, Head now trails only behind Virat Kohli (361), the current holder of the orange cap. Among his six innings, Head has notched up two half-centuries and a century, the latter achieved against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sunrisers Hyderabad's previous match.

Meanwhile, on Friday, KL Rahul propelled himself into the top-five contenders for the Orange Cap race in the 2024 Indian Premier League with his season-best knock of an unbeaten 82 against the Chennai Super Kings.

Table: Orange Cap Contenders

Besides the championship trophy awaiting the victor, the IPL also offers several individual accolades. Among these, the Orange Cap, awarded to the highest run-scorer, stands as one of the most esteemed honours in the league.

Renowned as one of the premier T20 cricket tournaments globally, the IPL showcases the finest batting talents annually.

Throughout the tournament, the player accumulating the most runs adorns the Orange Cap while on the field. However, it is the batsman who retains the highest run tally by the season's end who claims the prestigious Orange Cap award.

Leading the pack in IPL 2024 is Virat Kohli of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, amassing 361 runs from seven matches.

Over the course of 16 editions thus far, a total of 13 different batsmen have clinched the Orange Cap at the season's culmination.

In the 2016 season, Virat Kohli's extraordinary performance saw him rack up 973 runs, establishing a record for the highest run tally in a single IPL edition.

David Warner holds the distinction of securing three Orange Caps in the IPL, achieved in 2015, 2017, and 2019. Chris Gayle follows closely, having claimed the award twice in 2011 and 2012.

Only on two occasions out of 16 editions have the highest run-scorers hailed from the championship-winning teams - Robin Uthappa for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014 and Ruturaj Gaikwad for Chennai Super Kings in 2021.

Shaun Marsh was the inaugural recipient of the Orange Cap in 2008, representing the Punjab Kings (formerly Kings XI Punjab), with a commendable total of 616 runs.