With 15th edition of Indian Premier League's (IPL) extravaganza underway, batters have already launched their bid to grab the Orange cap. Meanwhile, former India head coach Ravi Shastri has made his first choice pretty clear by proposing Royal Challengers Bangalore Virat Kohli's name for the coveted cap. Shastri believes that Kohli can win the cap easily if he opens for his RCB this season.
Expectation are rife from Kohli's fans to see the run-machine firing runs yet again to place his name in the race of Orange Cap.
The basis of Shastri's choice for Orange cap is Kohli's stellar performance back in 2016, when he notched up 973 runs, averaging over 80 to storm RCB into the final. It was the only season in which Kohli bagged the Orange Cap and opened for the team.
“If Virat Kohli opens in this IPL 2022, then I’m sure Orange cap will be under threat,” said Shastri while speaking to Star Sports.
“That depends on the balance of the team. I wouldn’t know what their middle order is, but just in case they’ve got a very strong middle order, then there’s no harm in Virat opening,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kohli will be seen without the load of captaincy in the IPL 2022 as he handed over the baton to South Africa's star batter Faf Du Plessis. Even sans the leadership role his batting contributions for RCB will be highly anticipated, and are also considered to be extremely crucial in their search for the maiden title.
However, RCB didn't get off to a good start in their IPL opener match against Punjab Kings despite Faf's 88 off 57 and Kohli's unbeaten 41 off 29 as they suffered Mayank Agarwal-led side beat them by five wickets on Sunday.
The Punjab side chased down a huge target of 206 with six balls to spare in a thrilling high-scoring match.
Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa scored 43 each up the order, while M Shahrukh Khan and Odean Smith remained not out on 24 and 25 respectively as Punjab reached 208 for 5 in 19 overs. For RCB, Mohammed Siraj was the most successful bowler with figures of 2/59.
Earlier, RCB posted 205 for 2 after being asked to bat.
Captain Faf du Plessis top-scored with a 57-ball 88, while Virat Kohli made 41 not out as the duo shared 118 runs for the second wicket. Dinesh Karthik chipped in with a quick fire 32 not out off 14 balls. For Punjab Kings, Rahul Chahar and Arshdeep Singh took a wicket apiece.
