Gujarat Titans were one of the two new franchises introduced in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League. Under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, they won the tournament in their first year. While Pandya’s leadership was exemplary, there was another guy who stood up and played a pivotal role in their run to glory. The South African batter David Miller was outstanding throughout the season last year.
Gujarat Titans had a solid bowling attack consisting of Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson. Shubman Gill did well as an opener while Pandya batted responsibly in the middle order. The captain was able to play with a calculated approach because David Miller donned the finisher’s hat and did a phenomenal job at that.
Miller amassed 481 runs from 16 innings at a staggering average of 68.71. The southpaw had the best average amongst all the batters in the competition. To go with that, he ended up as the sixth highest run getter last season despite batting at No.5 most of the time. He had a strike rate of 142.72 which was also amongst the best. He stayed unbeaten on 9 occasions, including the final. His boundary hitting was also top notch as he struck 32 fours and 23 sixes.
David Miller recently talked about his experience in the IPL with SA20 betting site Betway, especially the last season in which he contributed immensely.. “If I look at previous experiences I’ve had, especially winning the most recent IPL, different guys did well throughout the competition. You’ve obviously got your core players within that, but you need a contribution from the whole squad throughout the campaign. On top of that, enjoying yourself is crucial. Staying in good spirits and creating a positive environment”, said Miller. His statements just add weight to the fact that his good spirits helped the Titans.
However, his form before the tournament wasn’t that great and there was a lump in that for a considerable amount of time. That was the reason why he attracted the bid of INR 3 crores when Gujarat Titans bought him from the auction. But he ended up proving to be worth much more. His international form has picked up since then and his performance in the SA20, 2023 has been pretty good too.
A few years ago, Miller was a force to reckon with who was known for his muscular shots who could clear any boundary with ease. He had a breakout season in 2014 in the IPL. Playing for Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab), the left-hander absolutely lit up the tournament alongside Glenn Maxwell. The duo was known as ‘MaxMiller’ at that time as they took their side to the final.
But Miller’s form took a dip across tournaments in the years that followed and he somehow started losing the sheen. The South African though, reminded everyone again what he is capable of as he started smacking those big sixes wearing the blue jersey of Gujarat Titans.
When it comes to the best finisher ever in the IPL, there is no one who even comes closer to the legendary MS Dhoni. But he is no longer playing international cricket and his peak is well behind him. Kieron Pollard is another who did wonders for Mumbai Indians for years as a finisher. But the Carribbean all-rounder has also hung up his boots in the league. Dinesh Karthik was brilliant for Royal Challengers Bangalore last year. But it remains to be seen whether he retains that form this season.
There seems to be a drought of finishers in the league for this season. But David Miller would be coming with good form from international cricket and SA20. It won’t be wrong to term him the current best finisher in the competition. Gujarat Titans though, won’t mind another good season of the ‘Killer Miller’.
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