Who will be the IPL player of the final 2023? As the race for the summit clash intensifies in the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), this question is becoming more and more relevant.
Gujarat Titans had already become the first team to qualify for the top four, with Chennai Super Kings, Lucknow Super Kings and Mumbai Indians joining them. Chennai defeated Gujarat in Qualifier 1, and have made the tenth final, while LSG have been knocked out after losing to Mumbai in the Eliminator. Gujarat Titans defeated Mumbai in the Qualifier 2, and have entered their second IPL final in a row.
With the grand final to be played at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium on May 28 punters are already looking at the prospective team sheets to determine who could be the IPL final man of the match 2023.
We look ahead and breakdown some of the options in this IPL final 2023 prediction.
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IPL player of the final 2023: What is it?
The summit clash of the 2023 edition of the cash-rich league will be an exciting affair with around a lakh fans thronging in the stadium to witness the action in the middle. Indeed, it will be a grand event and to perform at his best in the final of the IPL is every player’s dream.
The player who plays a match-winning knock or bowls a match-winning spell or makes the maximum impact in the final wins the IPL Final Man of the Match Award in the crucial encounter. The same award is also known as the IPL Player of the Final 2023. The prize money for the Player of the Final in IPL is INR 5 lakh.
Hardik Pandya won the Player of the Match award in IPL 2023 for his terrific all-round performance. He picked up three wickets conceding only 17 runs in his four overs and then mustered 34 runs off 30 balls with the bat in the tricky chase.
IPL player of the final 2023: Top predictions
1. Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill is in amazing form in the ongoing edition of the IPL playing for Gujarat Titans. He definitely has a chance to win the IPL Player of the Final 2023 award given the way he is batting at the moment. Gujarat Titans, the defending IPL champions, are most likely going to make it to the final this season yet again.
They have sealed their place in the top two positions in the points table and will get to play one more match even if they lose the first qualifier. Moreover, the final is at their home ground, Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, a venue where Gill likes to plunder runs at will.
After losing to Mumbai in the first Qualifier, Gujarat came back strongly in Qualifier 2, with Gill leading the charge. He struck his third IPL hundred in four innings in the game, racing away to a quick 129 to help his team reach the finals.
Gill has a stunning record at the venue, scoring 756 runs in 12 games here at an average of 84 with three hundreds and three fifties. The opener has been striking at 156 in this year’s IPL, with 33 sixes – 10 of which came against Mumbai in the last game.
He also scored a Test hundred earlier this year at the ground against Australia, along with making his maiden T20I hundred versus the Kiwis in Ahmedabad, also in 2023.
2. Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan has been the star performer for GT once again, picking up 27 wickets already – the most he has got in a single season of the IPL. He has been crucial in the middle overs as usual, but has also played handy knocks with the bat. He has an unbeaten 79 to his name this year, which came in only 32 balls, although in a losing cause. He also made 30 in 16 balls in Qualifier 1, once again in a losing cause.
He has plenty of experience and has been leading the charge in the middle overs, and will be the key player again.
3. Devon Conway
Another player who has been consistent this season is CSK opener, Devon Conway. He has been constantly taking the aggressive route, providing CSK with great starts.
Conway has been in form right through the IPL 2023 season scoring 625 runs at an average of 52.08 in 13 innings at a strike rate of 137.06. He has at times held the innings from one end as well making sure that the team either posts or chases down the total. So Conway is another contender to win the Player of the Final in IPL 2023 if CSK make it to the final of IPL 2023.
Past IPL Player of the Final winners
The first-ever cricketer to win the Player of the Match award in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was Yusuf Pathan of Rajasthan Royals. Thanks to his all-round effort scoring 56 off 39 balls and 3/22 with the ball, the Royals managed to beat Chennai Super Kings by 3 wickets in the final of the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008.
As we look ahead to the IPL Final Man of the Match 2023 candidates, here's an overview of who has shined previously:
| Year | Player |
| 2008 | Yusuf Pathan (RR) |
| 2009 | Anil Kumble (RCB) |
| 2010 | Suresh Raina (CSK) |
| 2011 | Murali Vijay (CSK) |
| 2012 | Manvinder Bisla (KKR) |
| 2013 | Kieron Pollard (MI) |
| 2014 | Manish Pandey (KKR) |
| 2015 | Rohit Sharma (MI) |
| 2016 | Ben Cutting (SRH) |
| 2017 | Krunal Pandya (MI) |
| 2018 | Shane Watson (CSK) |
| 2019 | Jasprit Bumrah (MI) |
| 2020 | Trent Boult (MI) |
| 2021 | Faf du Plessis (CSK) |
| 2022 | Hardik Pandya (GT) |
Anil Kumble of Royal Challengers Bangalore then won the Player of the Match award in the losing cause for his figures of 4/16 in the final against Deccan Chargers. However, the Chargers ended up winning the encounter by six runs. The Indian players then shined in the next three IPL finals with Suresh Raina (Chennai Super Kings), Murali Vijay (Chennai Super Kings) and Manvinder Bisla (Kolkata Knight Riders) winning the award in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 IPL finals respectively.
Kieron Pollard of Mumbai Indians came up with a brilliant unbeaten 60 off just 32 balls in the IPL 2013 final against Chennai Super Kings and then picked up a wicket while conceding 34 runs. His efforts helped MI win the IPL trophy for the first time and Pollard was named the Player of the Final for his excellent effort with the bat.
The final of IPL 2014 took place between Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders and this time, it was Manish Pandey of KKR who stepped up with the bat. His knock of 94 runs off 50 balls helped KKR lift the trophy for the second time in IPL history.
In IPL 2015 final, Rohit Sharma became the first captain to win the Player of the Final award. He smashed 50 off just 26 balls in the summit clash against CSK and that helped MI beat MS Dhoni and his men by a massive 41 runs.
IPL 2016 witnessed a new team, Sunrisers Hyderabad lifting the trophy thanks to yet another all-rounder stepping up for his side. Ben Cutting was the Man of the Match in the final for his cameo of 39* runs off 15 balls and then returned with the figures of 2/35 with the ball as SRH beat RCB by 8 runs.
IPL 2017 to IPL 2019 was all about CSK and MI as the two teams won those three trophies with the latter winning it twice. Krunal Pandya was the star for MI in the low-scoring thriller against Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017, smashing 47 off 38 balls. MI ended up beating RPS in the final by one run. MI yet again won a final by one run in IPL 2019, this time against CSK and Jasprit Bumrah won the Player of the Match award in final for his figures of 2/14.
In IPL 2018 final, Shane Watson played once in a lifetime knock against Sunrisers Hyderabad in a steep chase. He smashed 117* off just 57 balls as CSK defeated SRH by eight wickets. Mumbai Indians became only the second team to defend the IPL title in the 2020 season with a comfortable five-wicket win over Delhi Capitals. Trent Boult was the Player of the final with figures of 3/30.
Faf du Plessis proved why he is a big-match player in the final of IPL 2021. CSK were back to winning the trophy thanks to his sensational 86-run knock in just 59 balls in the summit clash against Kolkata Knight Riders. Chasing a mammoth total, the two-time champions fell short by 27 runs and Du Plessis won the Player of the Match award in the final.
Gujarat Titans made their debut in the IPL in the 2022 season and ended up winning the trophy with a brilliant performance. Hardik Pandya, the skipper of the side, led from the front in the final with the figures of 3/17 and then mustered 34 runs off 30 balls in a tricky chase later. Thanks to his stunning efforts, GT defeated Rajasthan Royals in the final by seven wickets. Hardik became only the second captain to win the IPL Player of the Final award.
