IPL 2020: 5 Indian finishers to look out for in IPL 13

The IPL 2020 will begin from Sept 19 with CSK taking on MI in Abu Dhabi.

The Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) will begin from September 19 onwards and all the matches will take place in bio-secure venues in Sharjah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi, with the final scheduled on November 10. Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings will face off in the tournament opener in Abu Dhabi.

One of the best aspects of the IPL is seeing big sixes and fours been hit on a regular basis, giving the fans the opportunity to cheer and shout at some amazing shots. Most of the time, the sixes usually come from the bats of finishers in the last few overs, when the bowlers are trying to get their yorkers right.

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We have seen a few tremendous finishers in the previous 12 seasons of the IPL and thankfully the Indian players haven’t done badly in the hitting department as well. Therefore, Team COC has picked five such Indian players who are masters of giving their sides the perfect finish, whether batting first or chasing a total, coupled with adrenaline rushing big hits.

Check out the 5 Indian finishers to look out for in IPL 13

KRUNAL PANDYA (MI)

Krunal Pandya has become one of the most dependable all-rounders for Mumbai Indians’ captain Rohit Sharma. He knows he will get four good overs and a couple of wickets from the left-arm spinner form Baroda. However, what has impressed many supporters of the blue army is that Pandya has shown amazing maturity with the bat as well.

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He has done amazingly well in both roles with the willow, whether it be a subdued inning like he played against Rising Pune Supergiant in the IPL 2017 final, or a smashing knock of 86 in just 37 balls against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2016. Apart from this, Krunal has played some other amazing knocks lower down the order and his overall strike rate of 146.06 suggested he can let the big shots out of his quiver anytime he wants, whether he is facing a spinner or fast bowler.

DINESH KARTHIK (KKR)

Dinesh Karthik has made a living out of finishing games for various franchises he has played for in the IPL since its inception. Karthik is one of the few batsmen in the tournament to a lot of runs batting lower the order majority of times.

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He has a decent strike rate of 129.80 and has hit 101 sixes and 357 fours so far in his IPL career. But since taking over the KKR captaincy, Karthik has shown that he can anchor the finishing role as well, despite having Andre Russell at his disposal. He displayed his hitting prowess against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2019 at Eden Gardens, hitting 97* in 50 balls with 9 sixes and 7 fours.

RISHABH PANT (DC)

Rishabh Pant has a strike rate of 162.59 in IPL where he has played 54 matches and has scored 11 fifties and 1 century to his name. Pant has always been known to hit big shots and brings the much-needed adrenaline rush in the matches.

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He has given DC some amazing finishes including his century which came against SRH in IPL 2018, when he slammed 128* in 63 balls with 7 sixes and 15 fours, while the next best score was 24 runs. However, his best knock of pure carnage has been his 78* against MI in their own backyard of Wankhede. He slammed 7 fours and 7 sixes and his strike rate were an eye-watering 288.88. Now that’s what you call a finish.

HARDIK PANDYA (MI)

Hardik Pandya has always awed his fans with his huge six-hitting abilities which are on display during the Indian Premier League. No one can forget his knock of 21* in 8 balls against CSK in IPL 2015 where he slammed 3 sixes, all coming in one over from Pawan Negi, which changed the course of the match.

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His best-ever season in IPL came in 2019 when he was given the license to go big and he returned the figures of 402 runs in 16 matches with a best of 91 at a strike rate of 191.42 and slammed 29 sixes and 28 fours at an average of 44.66. He was deadly in death overs, using the long handle and some nifty footwork to constantly deposit balls in stands.

MS DHONI (CSK)

MS Dhoni will return to competitive cricket after more than a year’s break and this time, he won’t have the pressure of international cricket on his mind, given that he retired on August 15. However, he still remains a huge factor in CSK winning the games in death overs.

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He showed what he could do in IPL 2019 when everyone had written him off as a finisher and big-hitter. However, he showed his might against RCB, almost taking CSK to the win. He made 84* in 48 balls slamming 7 sixes and 5 fours in a chase of 161 runs, where the next best score was 29 runs.

Dhoni will be completely free to unleash the beast in him in the upcoming IPL 2020, and he knows how to modulate his game as per situations and bowlers in UAE conditions. The CSK fans will be waiting for their Thala to wield his magic once again.