IPL History: Top 3 Australian batsmen to have played in the league
Although Australian cricketers may not always endear themselves to neutral fans, no one can deny that they have literally reshaped the face of modern cricket. Aussies are titans and trend-setters in this age of cricket, and they have repeatedly taken the game to new heights.
From the initial days of Steve Waugh to the absolute domination of Ricky Ponting’s men and the re-resurgence under Michael Clarke, the men from Down Under have ruled the game with their skills and power. Their influence on all facets of the game is unparalleled, and the IPL stands as another witness to their cricketing abilities.
The likes of Steven Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon have not been part of the most successful era in Australian cricket, but they are still extremely talented and can challenge the best on any given day.
Barring India, no other country has influenced the IPL as much as the Aussies have done. Here, we look at three of the best batsmen from Australia to have graced the stage at the mecca of T20 cricket:
3. Michael Hussey
The name Michael Hussey is synonymous with consistency of the highest level, and he is rightly nicknamed “Mr Cricket”. The experienced Australian batsman par excellence piled on runs in each IPL season and emerged as one of the league's best performers.
Also see – Big Bash League points table
Hussey, who represented the MS Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) from 2008-2013, played a key role in shouldering the top order responsibilities. While the inaugural edition saw him score a century, the sixth edition had him winning the orange cap for emerging as the season's leading run scorer with 733 runs.
In fact, Hussey's heroics as the team's opening batsmen wEre instrumental in ensuring CSK lifted the title in two consecutive years - 2010 and 2011.
The man from Western Australia represented Mumbai Indians in 2014 before returning to Chennai in 2015 for his final season in the IPL. Hussey amassed 1977 runs in 59 IPL games at an impressive average of 38.76 and strike rate of 122.64.