The finishers play a major role in T20 cricket, providing the much-needed final flourish to help their team finish on a high or chase the target in crunch situations.
The finishers play a major role in T20 cricket, providing the much-needed final flourish to help their team finish on a high or chase the target in crunch situations. The batters with a stable base and power to clear the ropes, especially against the pacers, are always in demand.
It’s hard to find top operators in this elite section, as the bowlers in the modern-day era are quite smart and laced with a plethora of variations. There have been numerous batters tried as finishers in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but only a few have been able to nail the role consistently.
Here, we take a look at the teams with the best finishers in IPL 2024 and rate them accordingly.
Mumbai Indians (MI) have most of the bases covered and look set to win their sixth title. MI can afford to slot Hardik Pandya at the No.6 to partner Tim David and Romario Shepherd for the finishing role, forming the best finishing unit.
All of them are hard hitters of the ball and can hit the pacers at will from the first ball. Pandya’s expertise is well known, while David and Shepherd are ever-evolving in the lower middle order.
David is among the most dangerous batters in the slog overs, as he can thrash length and full balls easily. Shepherd has also improved massively as a batter, and his boundary % has seen a whopping rise in the last year or so, as he always had the power but also holds the shape well now while hitting.
Kolkata Knight Riders have two best pace-hitters in the lower middle order. While Andre Russell is not the same force anymore, he still provides ample value against the pacers, and the margin of error is quite low due to his brute power.
Rinku Singh showed his prowess in the death overs and is among the finest finishers in world cricket at the moment. His ability to clear the ropes easily against the pacers makes him an ideal batter for the finishing role.
Sunil Narine and Mitchell Starc can also hit the ball. They will provide the batting depth and more freedom to Russell and Rinku.
Gujarat Titans (GT) acquired Shahrukh Khan in this year’s auction to use him as a pace basher in the death overs. While Shahrukh hasn’t been as consistent, he is a certified pace-hitter, and GT would hope to use him precisely.
Rahul Tewatia’s hitting has also improved, and he will look to take on the bowlers from the first ball. Numerous times in the past, Tewatia has shown his ability to stay calm and finish the games in IPL.
GT have Rashid Khan additionally, who is brilliant as a batter and can hit both spinners and pacers easily. Shahrukh, Tewatia, and Rashid form a formidable lower order for Gujarat Titans.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) went hard after Rovman Powell and grabbed him to strengthen one of their crucial positions – pace-hitting in the lower order. Powell is a pace-hitter with a high boundary % and strike rate, especially in the death overs.
Shimron Hetmyer’s recent form hasn’t been as great, but he has done power-hitting for Rajasthan Royals consistently over the previous two years. It’s just that RR would want him to regain his form before the tournament.
RR also have Ravichandran Ashwin, who can bat a bit. While not a power hitter, RR will have some cushion down the order.
Jitesh Sharma has slowly established himself as one of the best finishers in the game, along with Rinku Singh. He has been doing this job consistently for PBKS since 2022 and can be banked upon to continue.
Sam Curran has been batting well in SA20, but his power-hitting has been on and off at times. He is still a decent batter and will have the responsibility to provide a final flourish.
PBKS also have Harpreet Brar and Harshal Patel, who are capable batters. They will provide some batting depth and allow Jitesh and Curran to go more freely.
Dinesh Karthik was mediocre last season, looking rusty due to a lack of high-quality match practice. However, he is a quality pace-hitter and redeem himself to come good this year and do the finishing job like in 2022.
Suyash Prabhudessai has been promising in the domestic arena and is known to hit the ball hard. He is inexperienced, but RCB should give him a longer rope and play him in the lower order.
RCB have the options, but it would be interesting to see how their batters turn up. They should do reasonably well, especially against the teams weak in the death overs bowling.
While Nicholas Pooran is specifically a spin basher, he might have to bat at the No.6 and do the finishing. KL Rahul will bat in the middle order, and LSG’s best option is to ask Pooran to bat with Marcus Stoinis in the end.
Marcus Stoinis is a hard pace-hitter and will bat below Pooran. Both will form a nice finishing duo, even though both have their own troubles.
LSG also have Krunal Pandya, who provides some batting depth. He is not a pace-hitter, though.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) roped in Sameer Rizvi, who can hit the ball long. While he specialises in hitting spin, CSK will work with him and improve against the pacers as well.
Ravindra Jadeja’s pace-hitting abilities are well-known, but he has been inconsistent. Jadeja has been found wanting at times in the last two seasons, but he has the capability to hit the pacers at will.
MS Dhoni might be aged, but he showed how dangerous he can be in the end overs last season. He will be tasked to play in the final two overs and provide impetus to the innings, but how well Dhoni can hit at this age remains to be seen.
Delhi Capitals (DC) might be the thinnest in terms of death-overs hitting. Axar Patel is a top batter and has done well in the past, but there is no reliable one to support him.
Kumar Kushagra can hit the ball long and score quickly, but he is very new at this level. The quality of bowling in the IPL will be miles better than he has faced so far, making him vulnerable.
Lalit Yadav can also bat, but he is not a consistent power-hitter. While he provides some batting depth, Lalit can’t be trusted to take on the pacers consistently.
On paper, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have the worst lower-order batting. While they have Heinrich Klaasen at No.5, there is no certified hitter after him.
Abdul Samad has been decent, but he is not consistent. Washington Sundar’s hitting has also improved, but he is massively inconsistent.
Pat Cummins can hit the ball, but he is also not a trustworthy option. SRH’s lower-order hitting will largely rely on Samad and Cummins, and their top five might need to do the heavy lifting.
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