The Indian Premier League has been running for over 14 years now. Starting in 2008, it has now become one of the most coveted cricket tournaments anywhere in the world. The IPL boasts one of the highest viewerships anywhere in the world and is loved by cricket fans all across the globe. Cricketers from all cricketing countries participate in the tournament, making it one of the most diverse cricket tournaments ever. Fans worldwide patiently wait each year for the new IPL season to enjoy the exciting matches and to support their favorite players. IPL is also a great place for budding professional cricketers to show the cricket world what they have to offer.
What makes the IPL matches so gripping is its finishers. After All the fun lies in the final overs of the match. The anticipation of whether a team will be able to chase the target keeps fans at the edge of their seats. Some of the most memorable moments of a match are delivered by the finishers who are able to meet the target.
Here are some of the most illustrious finishers ever seen in the history of IPL
- MS Dhoni: MSD is the best finisher in the IPL by a long shot. He is the player that the team relies on to bring it home and finish off the match victoriously. MSD hit the much-needed two sixes in the last two balls in the RPSG vs KXIP match in 2016, which helped the Pune team win the match. He has also helped fulfill a target of 193 runs by hitting four and two sixes to qualify CSK for the semi-finals, in 2010. In 2018, MSD successfully scored 45 runs off 18 balls which helped his team win the match, bringing his runs total to 70 off 34 balls. MSD has proven himself to be the best finisher in the IPL.
- Andre Russell: Jamaican cricketer Andre Russell plays for Kolkata Knight Riders and has helped the team win in the final overs of many matches. Whenever KKR has found itself in a tough spot, Andre Russell has come to the rescue and helped the team chase their target successfully. No matter which bowler he faces, he’s able to knock it out of the park. In the 2019 match against RCB, Russell scored 48 runs in 13 balls and brought out the big guns in the last 1.5 overs where he hit one sixer after the other. Russell boasts the highest strike rate in IPL and it is evident in his finishing style.
- Keiron Pollard: Playing for one of the most successful IPL franchises, Pollard has proven his worth by being the best finisher Mumbai Indians could ask for. The team relies heavily on Pollard to pull through difficult overs and lead the team to victory. The best finish delivered by Pollard was in 2019, where he scored 83 runs in just 31 balls against the Punjab team. Pollard has also scored 64 runs in 33 balls which helped MI put up what turned out to be a difficult target for Sunrisers Hyderabad to score, in 2012.