In a format as competitive as the Indian Premier League, the individual brilliance of certain players can often change the fate of a match in the last few overs. We call them ‘Game-changers’ and is these kinds of players that make the IPL so interesting to watch.
Generally, the finishers are mostly considered to be game-changers as it is they who switch to third gear and start hitting big shots near the end of matches seeing the requirements of their teams. However Modern cricket also requires the Tailenders to often finish off big matches.
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In IPL 2022 teams squad, we will see a number of quality finishers. While some of them are old faces, we will be seeing a lot of them for the first time. In this article, we will thus be talking about 6 such players who can become game-changers in IPL 2022.
6 Players Who Could Be The Game Changer In The Tournament
1. Sharukh Khan (PBKS)
Sharukh Khan was in the Punjab Kings squad last season and they bought him back in the IPL 2022 Mega Auction for a whopping price of 9 crores. Shahrukh has proven his mettle as one of the best emerging Indian finishers and will be one of Punjab’s key players in IPL 2022.
Has had been a vital cog in Tamil Nadu’s Syed Mushtaq Ali 2021-22 winning side. In fact, in the final match against Karnataka, he played a quickfire knock and hit a six off the last delivery to win the match for Tamil Nadu. He impressed everyone after that match including former Indian captain MS Dhoni.
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Sharukh Khan will definitely raise the heat in IPL 2022 with his fiery big-hitting ability.
2. Liam Livingstone – (PBKS)
Liam Livingstone was the costliest overseas pick of Punjab Kings in the IPL 2022 Mega Auction. They bought him for 11.5 Crores the English big-hitter is expected to prove that his price tag was not a fluke.
Although Livingstone failed to impress in IPL 2021 with Rajasthan Royals, he was simply sensational in England’s ‘The Hundred’. In fact, he was the highest runscorer in that tournament and he even scored the most number of sixes.
This is exactly why Punjab bought him for such a high price. We can expect to see a number of game-changing knocks from him in IPL 2022.
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3. Shardul Thakur – (CSK)
Shardul Thakur, who had been playing for Chennai Super Kings in IPL so far was bought by his home side Delhi Capitals this season for a cut-price of 10.75 Crores.
Although Shardul Thakur is mainly known for his bowling skills, he has proven his ability to bat lately with the Indian National team. In fact, he has been able to maintain a very high strike rate with the Blues and can even be considered to be an all-rounder now.
Given the fact that Shardul will generally bat at no. 7 or 8 for Delhi Capitals, he is the perfect man for finishing Delhi’s innings and can turn out to be their game-changer.
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4. Rahul Tewatia – (GT)
Rahul Tewatia, who has been so far been playing in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals was bought by their neighbors Gujarat Titans for 9 Crores in IPL 2022 Mega Auction.
Also, Rahul is an all-rounder, he is mostly known for his big-hitting abilities in the death overs. He has been one of the main finishers for Rajasthan Royals in the last few years and he can maintain the same role at Gujarat Titans as well.
Tewatia’s mind-blowing 53 (31) against Punjab in VIVO IPL 2020 which won the match for Rajasthan is one of his most memorable game-changing knocks.
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5. Hardik Pandya – (GT)
Hardik Pandya has consistently been one of the best finishers in the Indian Premier League in the last few years and it would be wrong not to mention him in this list. Pandya has been made the captain of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022 and this is the first time that he will be playing in a team other than Mumbai Indians.
The all-rounder has been unable to bowl for his hip injury for quite some time now and thus he will try to focus on his batting. Thus, he can improve his finishing skills in the process and return to his old form and turn himself into a real game-changer for Gujarat Titans (GT).
6. Andre Russell – KKR)
Well, how can we keep the monstrous West Indies big-hitter out of this list? Andre Russell has consistently been one of the best players of KKR in the last few years and fans just love to see his batting.
Russell uses his sheer strength to send the balls out of the park and is perhaps one of the most no-nonsense entertaining batters in the business right now. He missed the last few matches for KKR last season owing to an injury but he is now back and fans will be eager to see his game-changing knocks.
