Hardik’s India numbers better than at MI; but Rinku Singh, Naman Dhir, Shashank Singh & Dhruv Jurel all in contention to complete finishers’ cohort

While one keeps a tab on these other contenders, Hardik’s curious ‘death-overs degeneration’ in the IPL springs a faintly distending concern.

The Mumbai Indians captain fronted pace at the death (17-20) in seven innings this IPL season. While he has smote 11 boundaries, Hardik isn’t as lethal with the blade as he used to be, averaging 15 against the seamers after being dismissed five times in 39 deliveries.

Wearing a slightly recalibrated batting role since his Gujarat Titans stint in 2022, Hardik’s presence has diminished at the death. It takes the output of the four seasons put together for Hardik’s slog-overs numbers to overtake all Indian batters in the league since last year.

While none have nearly embraced the death-overs specialism with consistency since MS Dhoni’s heyday in the league, Shashank Singh is catching up with the best in the phase from 2024 onwards. The Punjab Kings batter arguably holds the best death-over aggregates among all Indian bats in the period. In his IPL second wind, the 33-year-old Shashank has racked up 287 runs at the death, nearly 44 percent of his overall runs in the two seasons.

Only four batters have registered more runs in this phase in this time, with no Indian scoring more runs at a better strike rate than Shashank’s 212.21.

‘Finishing’ contrast

Bashing both left-arm and right-arm pacers with a 200-plus SR, Shashank adds 15-20 runs more than the average batter against the quicks at the death.

Shashank’s profile nearly eclipses Hardik’s 2022-25 haul – 305 runs at a 172.24 SR – single-handedly. Hardik’s diminishing returns against seam are glaring when placed against his 2019 self, the best year for any Indian death-overs finisher in the IPL.

Since last season, Hardik has struck at 175.81 at the death, comparatively higher on dot ball percentages and weaker in digging out the right-arm seamers. His 148.84 SR against right-arm pace puts him behind the average batter in the phase by nearly 15 runs. In the preceding two seasons between 2022-23, Hardik slumped against the left-arm quicks, struggling to pace himself past an odd and off-putting 76.47 SR, nearly 56 runs fewer than the average bat.

Curiously, Hardik in the Indian blues, flips the scales entirely with his performances demanding top-tier status. India’s highest-ever run-scorer in the T20I slog-overs at 904 runs in 60 outings, Hardik has gathered nearly 22.4 percent (203) of those in 13 innings since 2024. Striking at 181.25, no batter from Full-Member sides has topped him in the period.

While he juggles between the intricately different roles, Hardik is poised to deliver on the international stage, veering the focus towards his potential T20I middle-order/death-overs associates. Variances in their striking efficacies place Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh under the scanner.

Despite matching Hardik’s death-overs SR for India since 2024, Dube and Rinku’s underwhelming recent runs will magnify their shortcomings in a growing pool of designated death-overs hitters.

With Dube generally holding the No. 5 spot and a larger presence in the middle-overs, India’s No. 7, behind Hardik, could warrant a few auditions. Reduced to a cameo man with the Kolkata Knight Riders despite his spectacular IPL 2023 season, Rinku’s depleted game time will not likely affect his advantage for the role, but there are new challengers on board. Rinku’s 99 runs at the death this season aren’t eye-popping by any means. His 235.71 SR, though, hasn’t been overhauled by any of the 13 batters who have aggregated 100-plus runs in the phase.

*includes players available for T20Is

There is promise in the finishing spurts of Naman Dhir (132 runs and 206.25) and Ashutosh Sharma (115 runs at 185.48), and others behind Shashank (162 at 197.56) in the leaderboard this season.

The lack of a certified second dimension in their respective skill sets places the trio, alongside Rinku, in a tricky race for a position in India’s revamping T20I lower order. Wicket-keepers Dhruv Jurel and Jitesh Sharma could enter the fray in this regard.

Hardik’s wavering splits could disrupt the comforts of the expendable No. 7 before a home World Cup next summer. Rinku will lead the bid, but India have a few more veritable guns to scope out in the road ahead.