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IPL 2026 Orange Cap Race Sai Sudarshan Performance: While the dominance of the batsmen is being seen in IPL 2026, last season’s star player Sai Sudharsan has not been able to live up to the expectations this time. This young batsman of Gujarat Titans had established himself as a ‘run machine’ by winning the Orange Cap in IPL 2025, but his bat has looked silent so far in the current season.

In the match played against Mumbai Indians at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Sudarshan returned to the pavilion without opening his account. His golden duck off the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah was an indication that he was struggling with his rhythm at the moment.

Out of top-10 after 6 matches

After the first six matches of the season, Sudarshan is out of the top-10 list of Orange Cap and has slipped far down in the ranking of batsmen, at around 39th position. This decline is shocking considering his performance last season.

So far he has scored 135 runs in 6 matches, which includes one half-century (73 runs). His average is around 22 and his strike rate is around 145—which is fine for T20, but is considered below his last season’s standards.

Tough competition in the orange cap race

1. Heinrich Klaasen (SRH) – 283 runs
2. Shubman Gill (GT) – 265 runs
3. Virat Kohli (RCB) – 247 runs
4. Vaibhav Suryavanshi (RR) – 246 runs
5. Rajat Patidar (RCB) – 230 runs
6. Cooper Connolly (PBKS) – 223 runs
7. Yashswi Jaiswal (RR) – 223 runs
8. Ishan Kishan (SRH) – 213 runs
9. Priyansh Arya (PBKS) – 211 runs
10. Prabhsimran Singh (PBKS) – 211 runs

Apart from this, batsmen like Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer (208 runs) and GT’s Jos Buttler (202 runs) are also in this race by scoring runs continuously.

dominance of young players

The biggest feature of this season has been that the young batsmen have given a tough challenge to the experienced players. Players like Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya are creating a new identity by batting aggressively with a high strike rate.

At the same time, experienced players like Klaasen and Kohli have remained on top due to their consistency, which has made the race for the Orange Cap even more exciting.

Will Sudarshan be able to make a comeback?

It is often said in cricket – ‘Form is temporary, but class is permanent’. This completely applies to Sai Sudarshan. He has technique, composure and experience in big matches, which enables him to make a comeback at any time.

It is also very important for Gujarat Titans that their star batsman returns to form soon, because as almost every team is batting explosively this season, the team will desperately need his big scores in the race for the playoffs. At the same time, if Sai Sudarshan’s performance remains lackluster, then the team management can also decide to bench him for some matches, so that the combination can be changed and better options can be given a chance.

While new stars are shining in IPL 2026, last season’s superstar Sai Sudarshan is seen struggling at the moment. However, the tournament is still long and they will have every chance to make a comeback in the coming matches.