Speaking about the modifications in the cash-rich league, former Australian cricketer Tom Moody has suggested that the recipient of the ‘Orange Cap’ award should be determined by the combination of the number of runs scored and the strike rate.
Notably, players who score the most runs during a season in IPL receive the Orange Cap, which they wear while on the field during matches. The award was introduced in the inaugural season of the IPL in 2008 and has since become one of the most coveted individual accolades in T20 cricket.
Moody reckoned that the combination of runs and strike rates would give the opportunity to middle-order batters to have a chance of grabbing the Orange Cap. For the unversed, more often than not, only top-order batters receive this award due to the simple fact that they get more balls to play in comparison to middle-order batters.
Moody’s idea also received backing from none other than the legendary South African cricketer AB de Villiers. The former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star reckoned that he has been endorsing about such a suggestion for a long time.
“The highly sought-after Orange Cap should be judged with S/R in mind. I believe runs + S/R combined are more valuable/relevant in #T20. This would also include middle-order batters who are rarely in contention. What that formula is, I’ll leave to the experts,” tweeted Moody.
“Been saying this for ages. No brainer. It’s a comp between 1,2 and possible/rarely number 3 batters,” wrote De Villiers in his response.
When it comes to the ongoing season, Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper David Warner owns the Orange Cap as he has scored the most 209 runs in four innings. However, Warner’s run-making hasn’t helped the Capitals, as they still remain winless. The major reason behind that is the low strike rate of Warner which hasn’t done any benefit to DC. The Aussie star has scored runs at an average of 52.25 and a below-par strike rate of 114.83.
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