IPL 2023: The 16th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will begin in late March of that following year. The reigning champions are the Gujarat Titans, led by Hardik Pandya. After spending unprecedented sums of money during the mini-auction in December to bolster their sides, several teams will try to contend for the championship this year.
Having a strong finisher is one of any T20 team’s most crucial components for success. The best finishers are not only excellent power hitters but also batters who can bring modifications according to the requirements of the game, playing a significant part in the line-up.
While players like Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell typically strike from the first delivery, MS Dhoni wants to “take it deep.” These players succeed most of the time by adhering to their own templates.
This year, a variety of batsmen are set to provide a lot of top-tier finishes. Here are the top 5 players to keep an eye on in the IPL 2023.
IPL 2023: Here are the Best Finishers that Might Be Dangerous in the 16th Edition
1. David Miller
Last year, David Miller excelled as a finisher for the Gujarat Titans. He had a strike rate of 145.24 and 1053 runs scored in 42 innings for an average of 47.86. These were quite respectable performances for a hitter whose T20 career has been experiencing a dry spell since 2016.
Additionally, he significantly enhanced his ability to play against spin. In the most recent IPL season, he averaged 103 runs while scoring 206 runs at a strike rate of 145. He performed considerably better in T20 international matches, scoring 118 runs at 10.72 runs per over with just one dismissal.
2. Tim David
Singapore-born Tim David plays cricket for Australia abroad. He was acquired by the Mumbai Indians in the IPL mega auction before the previous season for $8.25 crores. His astounding strike rate of 168.45 resulted in 1410 runs being scored in 66 innings.
David excels at power-hitting and has a wide variety of strokes in his toolbox. He has surprised MI and is anticipated to take Kieron Pollard’s place in their lower-middle order. In the previous IPL season, he displayed some of his skills by scoring 186 runs in 8 innings at an average of 37 and a strike rate of 216.
3. Andre Russell
In the previous competition, Andre Russell was one of the top finishers. He had a strike rate of 174.48 and 335 runs scored in 12 innings for an average of 37.22. Since the IPL 2020 season, this was his greatest one.
He has one of the best finishes in the competition’s history. Even though he went through a brief slump, he is still the most useful T20 player for KKR right now. Russell has an equal amount of damaging power against pace and spin. Some of the greatest bowlers in T20 history have been destroyed by him.
4. Shimron Hetmyer
Shimron Hetmyer, a southpaw for the West Indies, has a stellar finishing record in international T20 tournaments. He has played in the Indian Premier League for the Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals since 2021, earning 556 runs at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 160.
The Rajasthan Royals reached the championship game for the first time since the team’s first season thanks in large part to Hetmyer. This year, with West Indian teammate Jason Holder perhaps moving up to number 7 and Ravi Ashwin to number 8, the aggressive southpaw will have more freedom to play his natural style and might give the Royals some explosive performances.
5. Dinesh Karthik
Over the past five years, Dinesh Karthik has dazzled everyone with his finishing prowess in this style. He performed admirably in the job for KKR in 2018 and 2019. After his batting role in KKR remained unclear, he had a couple of middling seasons in 2020 and 2021.
At the super auction, RCB secured the 37-year-old wicketkeeper and assigned him a finisher’s position. He mostly dealt with fast bowling in difficult situations during death overs in 2022. He continued to play for the Indian T20I team again and scored 330 runs with a strike rate of 183.
