Rohit Sharma Takes IPL Orange Cap For The 1st Time

Rohit Sharma [Source: AP]

Rohit Sharma unleashed five cracking boundaries and a huge six against Delhi Capitals in match number eight of the IPL 2026 season. Opening the innings for Mumbai Indians at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Saturday, April 4; the former skipper clattered 35 runs in all from just 26 deliveries to get his side off to a flier after the early dismissal of Ryan Rickelton.

Through the course of his knock, Sharma also snatched away the prestigious ‘Orange Cap’ from Punjab Kings’ Australia import Cooper Connolly, doing so for the first time in his elite IPL career.

Rohit Sharma wins coveted ‘Orange Cap’ of IPL 2026

Rohit Sharma started off the IPL 2026 season for the Mumbai Indians with a blistering 78-run knock from just 38 balls against the KKR last weekend at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. His innings helped the Mumbai Indians blaze past KKR’s monumental 220-run total with five balls and six wickets to spare.

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On a trail of a match-winning knock, Sharma backed it up with another sizzling 35-run blitz from 26 balls against hosts Delhi Capitals in Delhi on Saturday, April 4. The innings helped him scale past the 100-run mark this IPL 2026 season, as his current tally stands at 113 runs from just two innings at a prolific batting average of 56.50.

Notably, the 38-year-old also soared past young Australian batter and Punjab Kings recruit Cooper Connolly to bag the coveted ‘Orange Cap’ of IPL 2026 for the time being. Rohit Sharma, who is known for mounting big, impactful runs in the IPL but has curiously never laid claim to the Orange Cap across a full season, now finds himself in unfamiliar yet fitting territory.

Johns.

@CricCrazyJohns

38-YEAR-OLD ROHIT SHARMA - THE CURRENT ORANGE CAP HOLDER 🇮🇳🫡

Apr 4, 2026, 4:12 PM

One of the earliest cap holders of the season, the legendary opening batter has now staked an early claim as a leading contender to hold his ground in this race and potentially carry the accolade deep into the tournament.

Which was Rohit Sharma’s best IPL season with the bat?

A veteran of 274 IPL matches spanning all 19 editions of the tournament, Rohit Sharma enjoyed his best season with the bat in 2013. Incidentally, the season also marked his maiden stint as Mumbai Indians captain after regular skipper Ricky Ponting paved way for the then-youngster midway into the tournament.

In 19 innings, Sharma aggregated 538 runs at an average of 38.42 and with a strike rate of 131.54, plundering four attacking half-centuries in the process. To date, the IPL 2013 season marks the only instance where the Mumbai Indians icon has carted over 500 runs in a single edition. However, even in his magnum opus IPL season, Rohit Sharma finished sixth among the leading run-scorers, with then CSK top-order batter Michael Hussey bagging the prestigious cap after the final.

In any case, Rohit went on to lead the Mumbai Indians to their maiden IPL title that season, a triumph that not only validated his transition into leadership but also laid the foundation for one of the most dominant captaincy legacies the tournament has ever witnessed.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav takes Mumbai Indians past 150

Getting invited to bat first, Mumbai Indians blazed past the 150-run mark despite the early dismissals of Ryan Rickelton and Tilak Varma. Captain Suryakumar Yadav slapped an enterprising 36-ball 51, with senior pro Rohit and young Naman Dhir also listing crucial runs.

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