The biggest cricketing league of the year is scheduled to kickoff on April 7, 2018. After the mega-auction and the return of two former champions Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, this season is expected to be bigger, better and grander than all the previous seasons.

T20 cricket is famous for its fast-paced cricket, hard-hitting shots and quick-scoring, and IPL is the epitome of that. Over the years, various greats of the game, from Sachin Tendulkar to Virat Kohli have embraced the IPL, but only a handful of them have been able to win one of the IPL's most prized awards - the Orange Cap - which is given to the batsman who scores the most number of runs in a single season of the competition.

Here, we take a look at five strong contenders for the Orange Cap this season:

#1 Virat Kohli

When it comes to scoring runs, you can't stop Virat Kohli. This man is already a legend of the limited overs format, having scored 35 ODI centuries and more than 9000 runs in the process. Kohli has grown a lot in the last one year. After he started captaining India in all three formats of the game, he has matured as an individual.

The Delhi batsman can do wonders once he sets his sights on something. He can smash records and take his game to a level that no one can even imagine. A fully fit Virat is almost invincible on Indian wickets.

His 2016 IPL season is an example of the heights he can reach. Virat scored a whopping 973 runs in the 2016 season of the IPL, also amassing four incredible centuries in the process. Kohli has been in fine form recently, having scored more than 500 runs in the ODI series against South Africa, which are good signs for his team.

With form and fitness on his side, Kohli looks set to repeat his heroics of the 2016 season.