Aaron Finch
Three fifties in three games so far — all in winning causes. That puts Finch’s season so far in perspective. The Australian opener, who has been prolific in limited-overs cricket of late, entered the WT20 as the No 1 opener in the world, but was strangely benched for a couple of matches. Perhaps motivated by that snub, he has been consistency personified for Gujarat Lions.
Gautam Gambhir
Gambhir hasn’t been at his best in first-class cricket, but has once again proved that he can be a useful opener in the shortest format. His IPL numbers are among the best — 3359 runs in 121 games at 31.10. And while he has hit just 47 sixes in the tournament — a far cry to RCB’s Chris Gayle’s tournament-topping 230 — he has been remarkably effective, especially while chasing.
Virat Kohli
The India limited-overs vice-captain has barely put a foot wrong since the beginning of this year, and this IPL hasn’t been any different. Kohli played the role of the ‘finisher’ with aplomb for India in the WT20, and opening for RCB this season, he has been performing the same role for the franchise too. He has scores of 75 and 79 against Sunrisers and Daredevils, respectively.
Quinton de Kock
South African keeper-batsman has been on a roll since making his comeback into the national side for the India series. After an unbeaten 59 against Kings XI, he tore apart RCB’s bowling to make the first century of the season. The 108, off just 51 balls, enabled DD to chase down 191. He played strokes mostly in the off-side early on, but pierced all sides of the wicket as his confidence grew.
David Warner
Playing in the middle-order for Australia in the WT20, Warner was off-colour, and back in his favourite opening position for Sunrisers, the skipper is making up for lost time. He was at his best against Mumbai Indians, hitting 90 off 59 balls in a successful chase of 143. Faced with a not-so-intimidating target, Warner took his time to settle down before unleashing the big shots.