Sai Sudharsan holds the Orange Cap as IPL 2026 nears: every winner, record and stat from 18 seasons of the IPL's prized batting crown

Gujarat Titans' Sai Sudharsan enters IPL 2026 as the reigning holder of the Orange Cap, having amassed 759 runs in the IPL 2025 season to finish as the tournament's leading run-scorer. With the new season approaching, the race to succeed him is once again set to become one of the defining sub-plots of the competition.

What is the Orange Cap?

The Orange Cap is awarded to the player with the most runs in a particular IPL season and carries a cash reward of INR 10 lakh for the winner, presented at the conclusion of the IPL final alongside the other end-of-season awards. Alongside the Purple Cap — given to the highest wicket-taker of the tournament — it is one of the most sought-after individual accolades a player strives to achieve throughout the season.

Over the years, some of the greatest players to have played T20 cricket have lifted it, namely Virat Kohli, David Warner, Jos Buttler and Chris Gayle, to name a few.

The beginnings of the Orange Cap

The inaugural winner of the Orange Cap in the debut season of 2008 was Australia's Shaun Marsh, who scored 616 runs for the now-defunct Kings XI Punjab. West Indian great Chris Gayle was the first player to win the Orange Cap in back-to-back seasons, in 2011 and 2012, while playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in both campaigns.

Multiple winners and sustained success

Only two other players have won the Orange Cap multiple times: David Warner and Virat Kohli. Warner holds the record for winning it the most number of times — three — taking the title in 2015, 2017 and 2019 with Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Kohli's two Orange Cap wins came in 2016 and 2024.

Records and statistical extremes

Virat Kohli holds the record for the most runs in a single season among Orange Cap winners, having scored a whopping 973 runs in the 2016 edition. At the other end, David Warner's 562 runs in the 2015 season remains the lowest tally to have won the Orange Cap in IPL history.

Franchise trends and dominance

Among the teams, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have the most Orange Caps to their name with four apiece. Warner's three wins and Kane Williamson topping the chart in the 2018 season accounted for the Hyderabad-based franchise's tally, while Kohli's two and Gayle's two contributed to RCB's haul of four. SRH were the claimants of the Orange Cap-winning player for three straight years between 2017 and 2019.

CSK follow with three Orange Caps, while Gujarat Titans and KXIP/PBKS have two each. KKR, MI and RR have one winner each across the 18 seasons of the IPL. The Delhi franchise — competing as Delhi Daredevils and later Delhi Capitals — remain the only team from the original eight to have no representation in the Orange Cap winners' tally.

Overseas vs Indian players

Across the 18 seasons gone by, overseas players have won the Orange Cap 10 times, while Indian players have claimed the title eight times.

The superstars who never won it

Remarkably, some of the most iconic players in IPL history have never won the Orange Cap, including AB de Villiers, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni, to name a few.

Full list of IPL Orange Cap winners

As IPL 2026 draws near, Sudharsan's 759-run tally is the mark to beat — and history suggests the battle for the Orange Cap will once again deliver one of the season's most compelling individual contests.