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Former Australia captain Aaron Finch announced his retirement from T20 cricket and played his last game in the Big Bash League on January 13, 2024.
Finch, who led Australia to triumph in the 2021 T20 World Cup was one of the finest openers in limited-overs cricket and played a key role in Australia's success over the years. He was also part of the 2015 ODI World Cup-winning Aussie team.
Finch also played for a long period in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He had the distinction of representing nine teams in the IPL, namely Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils, Pune Warriors, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions, Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Kolkata Knight Riders.
He played for 11 years in the IPL and scored 2,091 runs at a strike rate of 128.20 in 90 innings.
On the occasion of Finch's retirement from T20 cricket, here is a look at the top five knocks played by the former Aussie skipper in the IPL:
#1 88* against Delhi Daredevils- 2014
Finch's top IPL score came against Delhi Daredevils in a group match in Dubai during IPL 2014.
Opening the batting, Aaron Finch added 56 runs with Shikhar Dhawan before the latter was dismissed. The Aussie thereafter continued the onslaught and took a bowling attack, comprising Mohammed Shami, Jaydev Unadkat, Wayne Parnell, and Shahbaz Nadeem, to the cleaners.
He scored an unbeaten 88 from just 53 balls. He smashed eight boundaries and four maximums and added 128 runs with his fellow countryman David Warner. The duo were unbeaten during the said partnership and guided Sunrisers Hyderabad to a total of 184 in 20 overs.
Delhi Daredevils fell four runs short of the target and Finch was named Man of the Match for his match-winning innings.
#2 74 against Kings XI Punjab- 2016
In the first-ever match for the Gujarat Lions franchise in IPL 2016, Finch set the stage on fire by playing a blistering knock.
Chasing a target of 162 against Kings XI Punjab, Gujarat Lions lost their skipper Brendon McCullum early. However, Finch dominated the bowling from the word go, smashing 12 boundaries and scored 74 runs from just 47 balls.
He played his fellow countrymen Mitchell Johnson and Marcus Stoinis, and the Indian trio of Sandeep Sharma, Axar Patel, and Mohit Sharma with ease.
FInch's aggressive knock provided the momentum for the chase and Gujarat Lions won the match with 14 balls to spare.
#3 72 against Royal Challengers Bangalore- 2017
The former Aussie skipper made a mockery of the RCB bowling attack on April 27, 2017, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru
After the Gujarat Lions bowlers bundled out an experienced RCB batting line-up for just 134, a target of 135 was expected to be an easy one for the visitors.
After the early dismissal of the openers, Finch played a gem of an innings. He was aggressive from the word go and smashed 72 runs from just 34 balls at an astounding strike rate of 211.76. The knock included six maximums and five boundaries.
Finch's knock ensured that his team thrashed RCB by seven wickets and 37 balls to spare.
#4 69 against Delhi Daredevils- 2017
The Green Park in Kanpur witnessed a special innings from the bat of Aaron Finch on May 10, 2017. Batting at number five for Gujarat Lions, he joined Dinesh Karthik on the crease when the score was 58 for the loss of three wickets.
He added 92 runs with Dinesh Karthik and thereafter 32 with Ravindra Jadeja before he was dismissed. He scored 69 runs from 36 balls and smashed six boundaries and four maximums batting in the middle-order.
Gujarat Lions scored 195 runs in 20 overs riding on Finch's innings. Delhi Daredevils however chased the target with two balls to spare.
#5 67 against Chennai Superkings- 2013
A bowling line-up comprising Dwayne Bravo, Dirk Nannes, Chris Morris, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin failed to contain Aaron Finch on April 15, 2013. The venue at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Finch was representing Pune Warriors in IPL 2013 and was at his destructive best during the CSK on the said day. Opening the batting, he blasted 67 runs from just 45 balls and added 96 runs for the opening wicket with Robin Uthappa. His innings included 10 boundaries and two maximums and he gave the perfect start to his team.
A target of 160 proved to be a stiff one for the home team and Pune Warriors won by 24 runs.
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