Millions of cricketing enthusiasts are scrambling to find the best IPL betting sites ahead of the biggest competition in world sport to place their top batsman bets.
I’m going to save you the time of trawling through thousands of cricket odds and select my top picks for this year’s IPL top batsman.
The primary purpose behind these tips is to uncover the best value – if I avoid a favourite, it’s because I don’t like the look of them at their price.
Check out the full breakdown below.
IPL past winners of Top Batsman
What about previous winners of the Orange Cap? Check out previous winners of the IPL top batsman going back to the first edition back in 2008.
| Year | Winners | Runs | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Shaun Marsh | 616 | KXIP |
| 2009 | Matthew Hayden | 572 | CSK |
| 2010 | Sachin Tendulkar | 618 | MI |
| 2011 | Chris Gayle | 608 | RCB |
| 2012 | Chris Gayle | 733 | RCB |
| 2013 | Michael Hussey | 733 | CSK |
| 2014 | Robin Uthappa | 660 | KKR |
| 2015 | David Warner | 562 | SRH |
| 2016 | Virat Kohli | 973 | RCB |
| 2017 | David Warner | 641 | SRH |
| 2018 | Kane Williamson | 735 | SRH |
| 2019 | David Warner | 692 | SRH |
| 2020 | KL Rahul | 670 | KXIP |
| 2021 | Ruturaj Gaikwad | 635 | CSK |
IPL Top Batsman conclusions
- There is a running theme – every top batsman identifies as an opener.
- The last two winners have been Indian.
- The average run count for a top batsman is at 674.18. When you consider the first three top scorers of the IPL all scored 618 or less, you can see the levels of improvement in the last 10 years.
Eliminating players for IPL 2022 Top Batsman
Must Be A Top Three Batter
It doesn’t take startling insight to suggest the pick should be an opening batsman. They have the longest possible period of any player to rack up the runs and so it makes sense to pick regular, expensive top-order batters for your best shot at success.
Consistency Is Key
A trick could be to look for the team with the most explosive batting line-up and find the player whose role in the group is to hold it all together. For example, Kane Williamson for the Sunrisers Hyderabad fits the exact profile of the player I would recommend you back. As entertaining as they are, you can avoid the likes of Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, and MS Dhoni.
Kane Williamson to be IPL Top Batsman
Best Odds: 23.0 each-way (1/4 odds 4 places) @ Betway
Using the logic I mentioned earlier in this article, I cannot ignore Kane Williamson as a top batsman option at his odds. Dependable, consistent, and the glue for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, he will be right up there at the end of the season.
Ahead of the IPL 22, he boasts the third-highest average score as a batsman – having hit 1885 runs from 62 innings at an average of 40.10. His scoring speed is symbolic of his role in the side, registering a relatively low 131.26 strike rate.
It is fair to say the tournament did not go to plan for him or his teammates last year. The Sunrisers finished rock bottom of their group and didn’t have one player in the top 20 runscorers of the IPL last year.
However, he is too good, and the Sunrisers roster has too much quality for a similar fate to befall them. They could be an outside bet to reach the playoffs – if they get there, he will have more time to rack up the runs to challenge for the Orange Cap.
Privthi Shaw to be IPL Top Batsman
Best Odds: 17.0 each-way (1/4 odds 4 places) @ Betway
If you think it could be three straight Orange Caps for an Indian player this season, you can do worse than back the bright young thing of Indian cricket.
Privthi Shaw is an Under-19 World Cup-winning captain who continues to enjoy an incredible start to his young career.
He is entering his fifth year as an IPL player, and last season he hammered his highest total yet in the competition – smashing 479 runs at an average of 31.93.
He is playing for the Delhi Capitals, one of the favourites for the competition, and I just think he could get a good amount of game time.
Why Not The Favourite KL Rahul?
I have to be honest – it’s challenging not to put the form IPL player from the last three years as my number one pick to land the top batsman gong.
The man has won the Orange Cap in two of the last three tournaments and finished third last season in a failing Punjab Kings team. New side Lucknow Supergiants like him so much they are willing to make him the joint-highest earning player in IPL history!
I do have my reasons, however!
- He has left the Punjab Kings, where he was performing to an unbelievably high level with astonishing consistency. I think the change in surroundings could prove disruptive.
- It’s Lucknow’s first season in the IPL, and he will be skipper. That’s a lot of pressure – I hope it doesn’t cause him to lose focus, but it’s a risk-factor attached.
- The price isn’t spectacular. When I back a top batsman, I like the odds to be in double-figures at a minimum to make the Each-Way selection worth it. At 9.0, there isn’t enough juice to get me excited about the places.
What Is An Each-Way Bet?
When you place an Each-Way (EW) bet, you effectively repeat the win-part of the selection and back them to finish second, third, fourth, or any other place set out in the betting rules.
For example, were you to place Rs. 500 Each-Way on Kane Williamson to finish IPL top batsman:
- Rs. 500 would go on the win-part at 23.0
- Rs. 500 on the place-part at 1/4 odds.
If Williamson were to win, you would get the win part, which is 23 x Rs. 500 (Rs. 11,500) and the place part, which is 23.0 ÷ 4 = 5.75.
Then multiply the stake part by that amount – so 5.75 x Rs. 500 = Rs. 2,875.
The total return from a Rs 500 E/W bet at 23.0 is Rs. 14,375.