The finishers

Every innings in a game of cricket consists of three important acts for the side batting; the start, the build and the finish. The innings however well started and well built upon needs to be smoothly finished in order to ensure the team a win. With the IPL in progress, there are bound to be some nail-biting run chases and each franchise has to rely heavily on their finishers to guide them to victory. Here is a look at the firepower deployed by each team to assist them over the finish-line.

Chennai Super Kings’ strength lies in its deep batting line-up. They are a side who look better off batting first and setting the opposition an intimidating target. However, the game against Bangalore was a perfect example of how the Super Kings can also chase down mammoth totals. With Albie Morkel’s power-hitting ability (which will haunt young Kohli for the rest of his career) as well as the calm of “Captain Cool,” Dhoni, Chennai can continue their run chasing heists this IPL.

Choking with their batting at the death was one of the factors that did not grant the Mumbai Indians success in the first two editions of the game. The arrival of Kieron Pollard and Rohit Sharma has changed the fortunes of this multi-million franchise. Just a few days ago Sharma dazzled spectators with an unbeaten 73 (50 balls). It was however an uphill task until the last over when the Indians needed 18, but Sharma remained level-headed and got the job done. Pollard too has found form and on his day no total is unattainable, making Mumbai Indians the team to beat.

Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore are two sides with formidable top-orders. With Daredevils having the likes of Sehwag, Jayawardene, Pietersen and the Challengers retaining Gayle, Kohli and AB de Villiers, one would like to believe this would be enough for either side to cruise through each innings without losing too many wickets. While it is true that on a given day Gayle and Sehwag can blow out oppositions single-handedly, cricket is a funny and unpredictable game. On occasions when RCB collapse, Saurabh Tiwary will have to step up in a star-studded team to accomplish the deed, a responsibility he carried out so well for his former employers, Mumbai Indians. Delhi on the other hand, needn’t worry so much as they have reputed slogger Ross Taylor who has just joined the squad. Primarily a top order batsman for the Kiwis, Taylor will have to adjust quickly in this new role if he is to be one of the four playing foreign players for the Daredevils.

Much to everyone’s surprise, the Pune Warriors and Rajasthan Royals have gotten themselves off to a great start. Having batted first, Pune hasn’t had a chance to display their chasing skills and in the future will have to rely on Robin Uthappa for the task of finishing. No doubt he is no Pollard or Morkel but during his stint with the Royal Challengers (2 years ago), he has proved that when the run rate is high he will be there to clear the ropes. If Uthappa can display a similar performance, Pune is bound to go places this tournament, and he is sure to catch the eye of Indian selectors. Rajasthan similarly have no big names down the order, but Owais Shah’s stunning response in their run chase against Mumbai’s 197 has given them confidence that targets, no matter how high, can be within reach. Kevon Cooper, the best bargain of the IPL-5 so far will be an X-Factor at the death with the bat for the Royals.

On the other hand of the spectrum we have the two teams, Kings XI Punjab and Deccan Chargers who have been sluggish so far. The Kings of the north lacked the aggression in the chase of 191 against Rajasthan and fell short by over 30 runs. Among their ranks, they have the experienced David Hussey who has finished a lot of games for Australia. He is expected to do the same for Preity Zinta’s side, but in order to do so, the top order have to provide some sort of a start! Deccan Chargers haven’t batted second either, so their chasing abilities remain unknown. Despite having not sparkled yet, the two Australians Cameron White and Dan Christian have shown hints of their finishing talent. Like Hussey their experience of domestic twenty-twenty cricket will give them an advantage over bowlers in slog overs.

Kolkata Knight Riders have been a very volatile team. In order to gain consistency, they have to snatch wins from games at the end even if they are not favorites. This means there is no room for error in close games and instead of choking themselves, they have to make the other sides choke by transferring pressure. Who could be more perfect for this role than the mighty Yusuf Pathan? As we have seen in the past he has the ability to change the game if he can just manage to stay at the crease long enough. Luck hasn’t favored the elder Pathan brother in the recent past and if he can steer Kolkata to the finish line in tense clashes consistently, Yusuf may find himself a regular spot in Indian squad in the upcoming series.

The expectations and pressure on the finishers is always high as they generally take guard when the game is reaching its climax and like top order batsmen have no time to set themselves. In almost all cases they are the team’s last recognized batsmen which makes their wicket extremely valuable for the opposition. The entire outcome of a tight game rests on the shoulder of these players. The team with finishers who can hold their nerves and dish out victories from the most difficult scenarios will have great success this IPL.

Other articles that might interest you :

https://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/04/12/explosive-super-kings-rule-over-the-royal-challengers/

https://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/04/12/mascarenhas-massacres-the-pune-warriors/