In IPL '26, everyone is going to finishing school

For years, the IPL finisher felt like cricket's version of a superhero entrance. The game could look completely lost, the asking rate touching impossible numbers, the crowd already giving up, and then someone would walk in and change everything within a few overs.

- Yashwita Chauhan

Rajasthan Royals' Donovan Ferreira.

(PTI)

These players were trusted to survive pressure, calculate chases and somehow find clarity in chaos.

Some of the league's most unforgettable moments have come from finishers: Mahendra Singh Dhoni taking it deep and finishing games for Chennai Super Kings, Kieron Pollard tearing apart bowling attacks for Mumbai Indians, or Ravindra Jadeja pulling off that unforgettable final over in the 2023 IPL final to seal the title for Chennai.

Then there were innings that felt almost cinematic. Rahul Tewatia hitting five sixes against Punjab Kings in 2020 after struggling through most of the innings, or Rinku Singh smashing five consecutive sixes against Gujarat Titans in 2023 when the game looked completely finished. Those moments didn't just win matches, they changed moods, silenced stadiums and turned players into cult heroes overnight.

Finishers felt rare because they brought more than power. They brought composure. They made panic look controllable. But the modern IPL has slowly changed that idea. Today, almost everyone is expected to be a finisher.

The Impact Player rule, deeper batting line-ups and the league's obsession with strike-rates have transformed finishing from a specialist’s role into a basic requirement. Teams no longer wait for a designated closer because almost every middle-order batter is now trained to arrive and attack.