Ranking the top 5 finishers in IPL history

Batting during the death overs is one of the most difficult skills to master in the game of cricket as there are various things the batsman needs to consider. While it may look like there isn’t a whole lot of thinking required and that the batsman can just swing his bat, it isn’t the case. Batsmen need to take into account the bowlers they will be up against, the number of wickets left, the number of overs left, the dimensions of the ground, his batting partner’s ability with the bat as well as how quickly he is in running between the wickets. When batting first, finishers also need to assess how the pitch is behaving and what would be a good score. During a run-chase, they already know the number of runs required and will have to decide whether they want to take it right to the end or try and finish it off quickly. Thus, being a finisher is not an easy task by any means and we have seen quite a few amazing finishers even in the IPL. Here’s a look at the top 5 death over batsmen in the history of the IPL: 5. Hardik Pandya Hardik Pandya. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) India’s best finisher at present, Hardik Pandya has gone from strength to strength since making his IPL debut for the Mumbai Indians back in 2015. He showed highly encouraging signs that season and his power-hitting was just what the Indian team required as well. He was brought into the Indian limited-overs’ team and he hasn’t looked back since. In the death overs (17-20), he has scored 836 runs in 55 innings at a strike-rate of 192.2 and at an average of 31. Even in general, his strike-rate of 159.26 is the 4th highest in IPL history. The power-hitter also scored the 5th fastest fifty in IPL history and did so in just 17 balls. Pandya might not look like the strongest man physically, but he certainly packs a punch and is one of the cleanest hitters of a cricket ball. He has helped Mumbai Indians win 4 IPL titles with his destructive batting and pretty useful bowling. 4. Andre Russell Andre Russell. (Photo Source: Twitter) Andre Russell has established himself as one of the most dangerous batsmen in the modern game and has destroyed bowling attacks all over the world in various leagues. His six-hitting ability is simply outstanding and even his mishits go the distance. He has scored 665 runs in 38 innings at the death at a terrific strike-rate of 218 and has an average just shy of 24. The West Indies international is some distance ahead of 2nd placed Nicholas Pooran in the leaderboard for the highest strike-rate in IPL history and scores 182.33 runs every 100 balls on average. Russell has played several memorable innings for the Kolkata Knight Riders and has often pulled them out of tricky situations single-handedly. He has also won the MVP Award on 2 occasions and is definitely up there with the best finishers to have played in the IPL. 3. AB de Villiers AB de Villiers. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) AB de Villiers is arguably one of the greatest batsmen of all time and has done some remarkable job throughout his career. He was quite sensational for South Africa at the international level, and in the IPL, he has formed one of the greatest batting duos along with another batting maestro in the form of Virat Kohli. In the death overs, ABD has scored 1254 runs in 67 innings at a staggering strike-rate of 233.1 and averages 39.2. The South African has scored the 5th fastest century in IPL history and has the 10th highest strike-rate at 151.91. He has also hit the 2nd most sixes having cleared the boundary ropes on 235 occasions. While everyone else on the list mainly relies on power and timing, de Villiers can play any kind of shot and is called Mr.360 for a reason. 2. MS Dhoni MS Dhoni of CSK. (Photo Source: Twitter) MS Dhoni is quite possibly the greatest finisher to have graced the game of cricket. The way he keeps himself cool and composed even during the most difficult of chases is quite fascinating. He has been an excellent player for both India and CSK over the last decade and has achieved everything a cricketer possibly can. During the death overs, he has scored 2303 runs in 131 innings at a strike rate of 189.1 and has an excellent average of 37.2. He has 216 maximums to his name in 182 IPL innings and is 3rd on the leaderboard for most sixes. MSD was at the heart of one of the best last over finishes in IPL history when he scored 23 runs against Axar Patel in 2016 for RPS to successfully chase down the total. He has managed to pull off several improbable chases and thus makes it the 2nd best finisher in IPL history. 1. Kieron Pollard Kieron Pollard. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Kieron Pollard is one of the best T20 players of all time, and his destructive ability with the bat is unparalleled. He has consistently won games and championships in various T20 leagues with his batting and it shouldn’t come across as a surprise that he is No.1 on the list. He has scored 1487 runs in 100 innings at a strike rate of 185.4 and averages 25.6 during the slog overs. With 198 sixes in his IPL career, he has the 6th most maximums in the history of IPL. Like Pandya, even Pollard has scored an IPL fifty in just 17 balls. Pollard has been a great servant for the Mumbai Indians and is one of the most decorated IPL players having lifted the trophy 5 times. Along with the Pandya brothers, Pollard has formed one of the most dangerous lower middle-orders in T20 history and they have been at the heart of MI’s dominance in recent years.

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