IPL is the most viewed cricket league in the world, and there is no doubt about it as IPL has high-thriller matches where both batsmen and bowlers play to win the IPL title for their franchise. Every player dreams of becoming a man of the match in the IPL final. So, let’s look at Players with the Man of the Match award in each IPL final.
1. Kieron Pollard, 2013
It was the IPL 2013; the final match was played between CSK and MI. In the match, MI won the toss and decided to bat first. Initially, the Mumbai Indians did not start well, but Kieron Pollard controlled Mumbai’s innings and scored 60 off 32 balls. As a result, Mumbai Indians reached the score of 148 runs. The target was not a safe score for MI as CSK could chase the target. But CSK’s batting collapsed as they lost wickets at quick intervals. Even though MS Dhoni scored 63 runs, it did not lead to victory. As a result, MI won the final by 23 runs, and Kieron Pollard got the Man of the Match award.
2. Ben Cutting, 2016
Ben Cutting was the player who stopped RCB from winning their maiden IPL trophy. It was the final match of IPL 2016, which was played between SRH and RCB. In the match, SRH batted first. Except for David Warner, no batter could score big runs for SRH. But Ben Cutting successfully played a cameo of 39 runs, scoring in just 15 balls, and SRH reached 208. In bowling, Ben Cutting also had two crucial wickets, including Chrisincludingnd KL Rahul. Ultimately, SRH won the final by 8 runs. Ben Cutting got the Man of the Match for a fantastic all-round performance.
3. Shane Watson, 2018
In IPL 2018, CSK made their comeback and was trolled for having many old players. But CSK proved everyone wrong by winning IPL 2018. In the match, SRH batted first and set a target of 178 runs. Against this, CSK lost their first wicket in only 16 runs. On the other hand, Shane Watson did not score a run in the first 10 balls. But after that, he charged on every bowler and scored a brilliant century. In the match, Shane Watson scored 117 off just 57 balls. As a result, CSK won the final match by 8 wickets. Shane Watson was awarded a Man of the Match for his excellent match-winning century.
4. Devon Conway, 2023
As the first day was abandoned due to rain, the final match between the Gujarat Titans and the Chennai Super Kings was played the next day. In the match, CSK won the toss and bowled first. From Gujarat, Sai Sudharshan played a brilliant inning of 96 runs, which helped Gujarat reach the target of 214 runs. But due to rain, the match was reduced to 15 over, and the target was 171 runs, which was difficult to chase. But Devon Conway removed the pressure from CSK’s batting lineup as he aggressively scored 47 off just 25 balls. As a result, CSK won the thriller final at the last ball, and Devon Conway became the Man of the Match.
5. Trent Boult, 2020
Mumbai Indians was a beast in IPL 2020, dominating that entire IPL season. In the final match of IPL 2020 against Delhi Capitals, Delhi won the toss and decided to bat first. But in the very 1st ball of the final match, Trent Boult dismissed dangerous Marcus Stoinis. After Stoinis, he dismissed Ajinkya Rahane. Again, with death over, Trent Boult dismissed Shimron Hetmyer, who could score big runs for Delhi. As a result, Delhi set a target of only 157 runs, which Mumbai Indians easily chased and won the match by 5 wickets. Trent Boult was awarded the Man of the Match for their exceptional bowling performance.
6. Manish Pandey, 2014
It was the IPL 2014 when the Kolkata Knight Riders won their second IPL title. It was the final match of IPL 2014 between KKR and Punjab. In the match, KKR won the toss and decided to bowl first. From Punjab, Wriddhiman Saha played an exceptional inning of 115 runs, which helped Punjab to score 199 runs in 20 overs. But KKR could have started better, as both openers got out at poor scores. But Manish Pandey did not lose the hope and played a match-winning inning of 94 runs. In the last over, KKR won the final by 3 wickets. For the match-winning batting performance, Manish Pandey was the Man of the match.
7. Anil Kumble, 2009
It is the only final in IPL history where a losing team player has got a man-of-the-match award. It was the final match of IPL 2009 between Deccan Chargers and RCB. In the match, Deccan Chargers batted first. But they were unable to play Anil Kumble. In the match, Anil Kumble took 4 wickets by giving just 16 runs with an economy of 4. At the end of 20 overs, Deccan Chargers scored 143 runs, which RCB could not chase, and fell short of 6 runs. As a result, the Deccan Chargers won the final by 6 runs, but Anil Kumble was awarded the Man of the Match award for their brilliant bowling performance.
8. Murali Vijay, 2011
In IPL 2011, CSK became the first team who successfully defended their IPL title. The IPL 2011 final was played between CSK and RCB. In the match, CSK won the toss and batted first. From CSK, Murali Vijay was in the form and scored 95 off just 52 balls, which was the most important innings for CSK. As a result, CSK reached a score of 205 runs. But no RCB batter could play a match-winning for RCB, and they could score only 147 runs in 20 overs. As a result, CSK won the final by 58 runs, and Murali Vijay became the Man of the match.
9. Hardik Pandya, 2022
IPL 2022 was the first season for Gujarat Titans, and in their 1st IPL, they won the IPL title. The IPL 2022 final was played between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals. In the match, Rajasthan won the toss and batted first. But their decision was wrong as they started losing wickets at quick intervals. Hardik Pandya took three of the most important wickets from Gujarat, including batsman Jos Buttler. In 20 overs, Rajasthan scored only 130, which Gujarat Titans easily chased and won the match by 7 wickets. For taking three crucial wickets and scoring 34 runs, Hardik Pandya got the Man of the Match award.
10. Yusuf Pathan, 2008
It was the first season of IPL, where Rajasthan Royals and CSK faced each other in the finals. In the match, Rajasthan won the toss and bowled first. From Rajasthan Royals, Yusuf Pathan took three crucial wickets, and CSK scored 163 runs. In batting, Yusuf Pathan scored a match-winning 56 runs off 39 balls. At the last ball, Rajasthan won the thriller by 3 wickets; Yusuf Pathan got the Man of the Match award for his excellent all-round performance.
