IPL 2020: Twenty20 cricket, and the Indian Premier League, in particular, are synonymous with being a batsman’s format. Bowlers get peppered to all corners of the ground when the big-hitters are in action.
With the IPL seeing so many sixes in its 12-year history, it’s bound to see the tally jump in its 2020 edition.
Here, we look at seven players likely to hit the hardest, go the biggest, and score the most this IPL season. For those keen on placing cricket bets at betting sites in India, these batsmen will be popular picks in the player markets and match events once the league starts. These players, and the tournament as a whole, is massively popular among cricket fans and bettors.
In 2019 alone, the tournament was broadcast in eight languages to over 460 million viewers across the globe. From 2018 and 2019, the total minutes spent watching the competition grew from 300 billion to 338 billion.
This makes it a very popular brand, indeed, with plenty of praise to the frills and spills of these seven superstars.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Former India captain MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket recently. He’ll continue to play at the domestic level, though, especially for the Chennai Super Kings. The Kings have three IPL titles. Dhoni captained them to all three.
His ‘helicopter’ wields over the on-side are among the cricketing spectacles fans can witness during Chennai matches. Dhoni has the third-most sixes in the IPL – 209.
Shimron Hetmyer
West Indian batsman Shimron Hetmyer is relatively new to the IPL. He is part of the Delhi Capitals squad. The hefty middle-order man played for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the 2020 Caribbean Premier League – and showed just what he could do during the IPL.
Hetmyer will benefit tremendously from the tutelage of Delhi head coach Ricky Ponting, who was a master at hitting late sixes during his playing days.
Chris Gayle
West Indian left-hander Chris Gayle is with the Kings XI Punjab for the 2020 IPL. He holds the most sixes in the history of the tournament – 326. That’s over 100 more than his closest competitor.
Gayle also has the highest score in the history of the IPL – 175 not out. He is the so-called ‘Universe Boss’ for a good reason in terms of a positive impact on the domestic T20 tournament circuit.
Eoin Morgan
England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan now has a World Cup to his name, having led the land to glory at the 2019 showpiece. He’s a key cog in the Kolkata Knight Riders squad. He’s inventive with his shot section and unorthodox with his stroke play.
A while back, Morgan put his IPL ambitions on hold to pursue a relatively permanent berth in England’s Test XI. That didn’t work out, so for the next couple of months at least, his focus can remain fixed on Kolkata’s pursuits.
Chris Lynn
Australian opening batsman has joined the Mumbai Indians from the Kolkata Knight Riders. In the last nine months, he has played in the Big Bash League, Pakistan Super League, and Caribbean Premier League.
Unable to demand a semi-permanent berth in his country’s limited-overs squads, he is content doing so with franchises around the world. Lynn may well open the batting alongside South African big-hitter Quinton de Kock at Mumbai. Now that will be fun to watch.
David Miller
South African batsman David Miller’s popularity is a bit hit or miss back home. In India, though, he is all but worshipped for his prowess. He has left the Kings XI Punjab and will play with the Rajasthan Royals during the 2020 IPL.
As a left-hander, he can really throw the bowlers’ lines and lengths off, especially during the closing stages of the innings. Therein is his opportunity to hit big sixes.
Aaron Finch
Australian ODI and T20I captain has joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore from the Kings XI Punjab. He will arrive at the tournament late, as first he will be with Australia in England for three ODIs and as many T20Is.
He, too, knows how to bludgeon bad balls. Perhaps he will bat alongside AB de Villiers, which will be superb to see.
