After hosting a total of 74 matches, the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League concluded with a final showdown between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans on Monday, Mat 29. The dream of millions of fans across the country was fulfilled at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium as MS Dhoni lifted the T20 cup for the record fifth time.
Not just the final but the entire tournament witnessed some stunning performances both from the batters and the bowlers. While the opening batter played a vital role for their respective franchises in the 16th season of the T20 Championship, the middle-order batters were the ones who ruled the league round and the playoffs with their stellar performances.
The final also saw one such performance as Sai Sudharsan lit up the Gujarat Titans dugout by smacking 96 runs off just 47 balls. Though GT lost to the Super Kings by five wickets, the young middle-order batter managed to rule the headlines.
In this article, let us take a look at five middle-order batters who remained consistent throughout the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League and churned out some phenomenal performances to contribute to their team’s good ride.
#5 Marcus Stoinis
Just like the previous season, Lucknow Super Giants reached the playoffs in the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League as well and a lot of credit for the same goes to the middle-order batter Marcus Stoinis. The 33-year-old ended up as the top run-scorer for his franchise with 408 runs in 15 matches at an average of over 31.
Stoinis’ best performance in IPL 2023 came in a league game against Mumbai Indians as Lucknow Super Giants were playing a do-or-die match. Batting first, the franchise racked up a score of 177 runs as the Australian star hammered not out 89 runs off just 47 balls with the help of four boundaries and eight maximums.
He was the standout performer for the team as apart from him, no batter scored even 50 runs.
#4 Nicholas Pooran
Nicholas Pooran was the second-highest run-getter for Lucknow Super Giants
Apart from Marcus Stoinis, another Lucknow Super Giants batter who ruled this season is Nicholas Pooran. The former West Indies skipper raised a lot of eyebrows in December last year as LSG shelled out a whopping INR 16 crore to acquire his services. Coming to play at number six for most of the season, Pooran did not disappoint as he justified his hefty paycheque.
He featured in all 15 games for his team and accumulated 358 runs at an average of over 29 and a strike rate of over 172. The batter hit a total of six fifties throughout the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League to register his name in the record books.
The wicketkeeper-batter deliver one of the best performances of his IPL career in a game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. During the early stage of the tournament, Lucknow Super Giants were given the task of chasing 213 runs at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The task seemed difficult as LSG lost their five wickets within 12 overs. However, they managed to reach a victory by one wicket as the West Indies Stalwart smacked 62 runs after facing only 19 balls.
#3 Heinrich Klaasen
In the 16th season of the T20 extravaganza, Sunrisers Hyderabad delivered one of the worst performances of their IPL career. Playing all 14 matches, the team could win only four games and ended up as the wooden-spooner in the points tally with eight points. It was a season to forget for the team but the same can not be said for the middle-order batter Heinrich Klassen.
The South African batter churned out some drool-worthy performances in the tournament as he collected 448 runs in 11 innings at an average of over 49. The batter also managed to light up the T20 Championship by playing a stunning knock of 104 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore in SRH’s second-last league game.
Klaasen’s exploits took the team to a score of 186 runs in the first innings but they lost the match by eight wickets as Virat Kohli also hit a century in the second innings.
#2 Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav proved his worth as a top-class T20 batter
It should not be surprising for any cricket fan who followed the 2023 season of the Indian Premier League to see the name of Suryakumar Yadav in this esteemed list. The 32-year-old is on fire in the shortest format of the game be it in international cricket or in T20 matches. He did not fail in spilling his charm in the T20 league as well.
Suryakumar Yadav carried the Mumbai Indians batting line-up single-handedly in the season and played a pivotal role in ensuring a third place for his team. He was the seventh-highest run-scorer overall and occupied the top place for his team with a whopping 605 runs in 16 matches at an average of over 43 and a strike rate of over 181.
He also smacked a hundred during the league game against Gujarat Titans. Mumbai Indians lost the Qualifier 2 match against GT by 62 runs but Yadav emerged as the only positive for the team in the game.
When the five-time champion was chasing 234 runs, Suryakumar hammered 61 runs with the help of seven boundaries and two maximums after facing 38 balls. The 32-year-old was undoubtedly the Most Valuable Player for his franchise this season.
#1 Rinku Singh
No words can ever be enough to describe Rinku Singh’s performance in the 16th season of the Indian Premier League. The batter stole the thunder from all the finishers and the middle-order batters in the competition with his jaw-dropping performances. Though his franchise Kolkata Knight Riders failed to make a cut to the top four, Rinku established himself as a find of the season and impressed the who’s who of the cricket fraternity with his power-hitting abilities.
The 25-year-old finished as the top run-getter for his team with 474 runs in 14 matches. He smacked four fifties and recorded an average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 149.53. While the batter churned out a plethora of stunning performances throughout the competition, it was his 67* run knock against Lucknow Super Giants that completely captured the hearts of the fans and the cricket world.
Playing their last league match at the Eden Gardens, the Knight Riders were supposed to chase 177 runs. They were going to hand an easy win to the opposition following a flurry of wickets at the top. However, Rinku faced 33 balls in the middle and smashed 67 runs to ensure good competition. Despite the brilliant performance, his efforts went in vain as KKR lost by one run.