IPL 2020: 3 Foreign players who have won the Man of the Match award in an IPL final
There is a massive question mark over the future of IPL 2020 as the COVID-19 outbreak has compelled the organisers to postpone the tournament which was scheduled to begin this Sunday. Mumbai Indians have been the most successful team in the tournament's history with four championship titles to their name, whilst the Chennai Super Kings are right behind them with three triumphs.
Over the years, players like Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay, Manvinder Bisla, Manish Pandey, Rohit Sharma, Krunal Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah have etched their names in IPL history by playing a match-winning role for their teams in an IPL final.
There has also been one instance where the Man of the Match award was given to a player from the team that finished as the runners-up. Anil Kumble achieved that feat while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2009 IPL final.
Also see – Indian Premier League 2020 schedule
Apart from the big Indian names, there have been three foreign players who have won the Man of the Match award in IPL finals and the following list showcases the same.
#3 Kieron Pollard - 2013
The first overseas player to win the Man of the Match award in an IPL final was the hard-hitting all-rounder from West Indies, Kieron Pollard. The Caribbean star played a match-winning role in the 2013 final against the Chennai Super Kings and helped Mumbai Indians win their first IPL trophy.
Pollard came out to bat at number six when the team's score was 52/4. He stabilized the innings with Ambati Rayudu before launching an all-out assault on the opposition bowling attack.
The right-handed batsman hit seven fours and three sixes in his 60-run knock that came in 32 balls to guide Mumbai Indians to a score of 148 runs in the first innings.
Pollard rounded off his phenomenal batting display by picking up one wicket to help Mumbai win the match by 23 runs.
#2 Ben Cutting - 2016
While a plethora of Australian batsmen have won the Orange Cap award in IPL history, none of the Aussie players have managed to win the Man of the Match award in an IPL final. Ben Cutting changed that in 2016.
Cutting emerged as the first player from his nation to achieve this feat with his all-round brilliance in the final of IPL 2016 that shocked Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Despite David Warner’s half-century, Sunrisers Hyderabad were reduced to 158/6 in 17.1 overs. Cutting switched gears and attacked the RCB bowlers, scoring a game-changing 15-ball 39-run knock.
He struck three boundaries and four towering sixes in his inning. Cutting followed this up with a starring bowling display wherein he dismissed the dangerous Chris Gayle and rattled the stumps of KL Rahul.
#1 Shane Watson - 2018
The only foreign player to have scored a century in the last match of an IPL season is Shane Watson. Having won the Most Valuable Player Award twice in the IPL, Watson brought his experience to the fore while opening the innings for Chennai Super Kings in the 2018 IPL final.
Some brilliant performances from Kane Williamson, Yusuf Pathan and Carlos Brathwaite helped the Sunrisers Hyderabad score 178/6 in 20 overs. Chasing a big score, Chennai got off to a slow start as Bhuvneshwar Kumar did not concede a single run in his first over to Watson.
However, the Aussie launched a counter-attack after that and scored 117 runs in 57 balls to guide CSK home with nine balls to spare. Watson's epic knock comprised 11 fours and eight sixes.