Top seven finishers in the history of IPL as a list may change based on parameters. Finishing is an art in modern-day cricket. However, it must be mentioned that it is a new art. Earlier the game revolved around Test matches and it was only in the late 70s that white-ball cricket came to being.
Nevertheless, it was only in the mid 90s that players learnt the art of finishing games. Australia’s Michael Bevan was one of the best and foremost players to have perfected the art of finishing an innings.Even one of the best Indian finishers and former captain MS Dhoni was inspired by the Australian batter.
Don’t forget that they remain hot players to bet on BetDaily’s IPL Satta Matka.
Top Seven Finishers in the History of IPL
As T20 cricket grew, the role of the finisher became even more important. Teams needed someone to come in the lower middle-order and launch the counter-attack. With IPL 2023 in full sway, we have seen some great finishing knocks from top players. In this article, we take a look at the seven best finishers in the history of the tournament.
- MS Dhoni
Known as the captain cool, Dhoni was among the best finishers available in the shortest format of the game. Turning 41, Dhoni might have lost the midas touch, but he was successful in inspiring the next generation of players who took up the role of a finisher.
Although, Dhoni played a number of knocks in IPL, but two of his knocks just put him on the pedestal: His superb finish against Punjab Kings in IPL 2010 where he hunted down 16 runs in the last over itself with two balls to spare and his knock against RCB in IPL 2018 where he would go on to smash 84 runs off 48 balls.
- AB de Villiers
The next best batter in this list will have to be Ab de Villiers. The South African played hockey before playing cricket and perhaps that helped him as far as his bat swing is concerned. Unlike his adversaries, he could smash the ball in 360 degrees–literally. He would get down on his knees and scoop the ball over his head. A place where there was no fielder in the first place.
He started off his career with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) after which he moved to Royal Challengers Bengaluru where he stayed until the end of his IPL career. He accounted for more than 5,000 runs in his T20 career with an astounding strike rate of 151.7. Nonetheless, Ab de Villiers remains one of the hot picks among the Indian punters who all have online betting ID issued in their name.
- Andre Russell
The burly West Indian knows no bounds when it comes to muscling the ball. Yes, when this Jamaican hits the ball, they stay hit. Unlike his adversaries, Russell uses his muscles to full effect. He once helped KKR chase down a mammoth total of 206. He himself scored 48 off just 13 balls.
In-fact, he smashed Marcus Stoinis for three sixes and then hammered four sixes off Tim Southee in the very next over to pull off a heist. Although, he got just over 2000 runs in his IPL career, they came with a killer strike rate of 177. Tells a lot about him, doesn’t it?
- Kieron Pollard
Well speaking about the West Indies, there is another finisher who had turned on the heat numerous times. And that is Kieron Pollard. If Russell was a brute, Pollard was also a master when it comes to clean hitting. He was very good in the arc and used to give the ball a whack–enough to sail it over the fence.
He started his career at Mumbai Indians, wrapping up at the very same place, turning out to be a very loyal servant for the franchise. On numerous occasions, he bailed his team out with a quick-fire cameo which eventually turned out to be enough in the end. He appeared in 181 IPL matches and scored 3412 runs at a strike rate of 147.3. He is currently serving as their batting coach.
- Hardik Pandya
Unlike the likes of Pollard and Russel, Pandya is a very skinny guy. But when he hits the ball, it stays hit. Interestingly, his memorable knock came in the same match where Russell too proved his worth. In a chase of 230, Pandya kept Mumbai Indians in the hunt as he smashed 91 off 34 balls.
Also, the fact about Pandya is that he is very consistent with the bat. Ask Mumbai Indians! Turning up for this franchise, he accounted for 1963 runs which came at an astonishing strike rate of 147.59.
- Glenn Maxwell
The next in line is Australia’s Glenn Maxwell who first played in IPL as a replacement for Travis Birt in the year 2012. No one expected him to be such a superstar but that was when Mumbai Indians paid him a glorious one million dollars in 2013 IPL auctions.
Meanwhile, next year he was back in the IPL with Punjab Kings. He proved his worth in the very first match, scoring 95 off 43 balls against CSK. He then smashed 89 off 45 balls against Rajasthan Royals and then scored 95 off 43 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Eventually, he was named Player of the Match in all 3 games. He would eventually score 2319 runs in 110 matches at a strike rate of 153.9.
- Ravindra Jadeja
The CSK all-rounder is one of the most effective players in the history of IPL. Unlike others, Jadeja has been a multi-utility player who would not only give you big hits, but would also get you breakthroughs.
Moreover, he would also get you quick overs in between. He has played some sublime cameos for CSK which helped his team snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. One of his most popular knocks came against RCB in IPL 2021 where he smashed Harshal Patel for 37 runs.
Concluding thoughts on Top Seven Finishers in the history of IPL
Finishing has been one of the newest specialist jobs in cricket. As times change, the game of cricket will also change. No doubt, the role of a finisher would also undergo a change.
Today’s top finisher won’t be the best in the coming decade. In the times ahead, finishing would become more and more about slogging and less about staying put and accelerating which was the norm in Michel Bevan’s days.
