The Indian Premier League (IPL), organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is one of the premier T20 franchise cricket leagues in the world. It is a spectacle of world class cricketing talent, where players demonstrate their skills during nail biting moments. Like international cricket, the role of a finisher in IPL stands out as one of the most crucial. Since its inception, the tournament has witnessed several players rise to rescue their team in the final stages of the game, earning the reputation of being the best finisher in the IPL. In this article, we discuss who trul;y deserve this title.

Who is the best finisher in IPL history?

MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni is unarguably one of the best finishers in the world and in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history. He has been playing in IPL since its inception and has represented two franchises- Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rising Pune Supergiant (now defunct). The 43-year-old had led CSK to record-equalling five IPL titles and relinquished his captaincy before the 2024 season. Over the years, he had made memorable moments for CSK, particularly as a finisher and wicketkeeper. His most remarkable finished include an unbeaten 54 against Kings XI punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2010 and a 70* against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2018. Overall, he accumulated 5243 runs in 264 matches at an average of 39.12 and a strike rate of 137.53. 

AB de Villiers

Ab de Villiers has been considered as one of the finest finishers in the history of IPL. The former South African captain has played for Delhiu Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and Royal challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Renowned as Mr. 360, he has excelled for his team in various high pressure situations. One of his best knock for RCB came in 2015 when he smacked a 133* off just 59 deliveries against Mumbai Indians, where his side posted a mammoth total of 235 runs and went on to win the game by 39 runs. He has rescued RCB in various pressure situations and one among them was the Qualifier 1 against Gujarat lions (now defunct) in the IPL 2016. He amassed an unbeaten 79 off 47 deliveries and guided the team to a famous victory. 

3. Kieron Pollard

Kieron Pollard has represented Mumbai Indians from 2010 to 2022 in the IPL. The West Indies legend, renowned for his aggressive batting, has scored over 3000 runs at an average of 28.67 and a strike rate of 147.32. One of his notable performances for Mumbai came in 2021, where he smashed an unbeaten 87 off just 34 deliveries against Chennai Super Kings and helped his side chase down the 219-run target. He retired from playing cricket in 2022 and is currently serving as batting coach of the Mumbai-based franchise. 

4. Andre Russel

Andre Russel is another explosive batter in the history of Indian Premier League. Apart from his big-hitting brilliance he is also considered as IPL best finisher. He started his IPL journey with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in 2012 and joined Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after two years. One of the memorable innings he played for KKR was an 88-run knock against Chennai Super Kings in 2018. Playing for Delhi and KKR, he has accumulated a total of 2484 runs in 127 matches at an average of 29.22 and a strike rate of 174.92. His best score was an 88* off 36 against Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2018. 

5. Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell has so far represented four franchises in the IPL- Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab (Punjab Kings), Delhi Capitals, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. One of his outstanding performances came during the 2014 IPL with Punjab where he scored 514 runs. Interestingly, Punjab advanced for the first time in IPl in that season. 

6. Rinku Singh

Kolkata Knight Riders’ batter Rinku Singh also earned the title of ‘best finisher in the IPL’ after some remarkable performance in the tournament. His left the cricketing world awestruck during KKR’s clash against Gujarat titans in the IPL 2023. He effortlessly smashed five consecutive sixes against Yash Dayal and snatched the victory from the Titans’ hand. Notably, following his performance in the IPL 2023, he earned India call-up.

Conclusion

Finishers play an unparalleled role in a team’s success in every cricket match. Names like MS Dhoni, AB de Villiers, and Kieron Pollard are among the first to come to everyone’s mind when discussing who is the best finisher in the IPL. However, several emerging talents, including Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, and Rishabh Pant have also proven their worth as finishers in some matches in the lucrative league. All these players have redefined how the sport is played in the final overs, leaving a legacy to inspire the future generation.