The Man of the Match Award is presented to the best individual performer in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match.
In the history of IPL, 3 captains have won the Man of the Match Award in the final.
- Anil Kumble
The Royal Challengers Bangalore were defeated by the Deccan Chargers in the IPL 2009 final, but RCB veteran Anil Kumble’s inspired bowling earned Jumbo the Man of the Match award. Following that match, Kumble may have set the standard for leg-spinners operating in the powerplay.
Kumble dismissed Adam Gilchrist, who had blown the Delhi Daredevils out in the semi-final, and made sure the Australian didn’t trouble in the least. With the wrong un, he knocked out his stumps. As the Chargers continued to struggle for runs, the leggie took out another big-hitting Australian, Andrew Symonds. Both Rohit Sharma and Venugopal Rao fell victim to Kumble’s line and length consistency.
The Chargers finished with 143 runs, and Kumble had pitched a brilliant 4/16 inning to set up what appeared to be an easy victory. Despite RCB’s failure to complete the run chase, Jumbo deserved to be named Man of the Match for his outstanding leg-spin display in the final.
- Rohit Sharma
Mumbai’s dominance over CSK in the IPL 2015 final enthralled the Eden Gardens, and it was the captain who rose to the occasion. Mumbai crossed the 200-run mark thanks to Rohit Sharma, securing an emphatic victory over CSK and their second IPL title.
Despite losing Parthiv Patel in the first over, Rohit and Lendl Simmons put together a crucial 119-run partnership to keep Mumbai on track for a score of more than 200. West Indians Simmons and Kieron Pollard backed up Rohit’s 26-ball 50. Mumbai thrashed CSK by 41 runs, earning the captain the Man of the Match award as well as the IPL’s second trophy.
- Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya, the star all-rounder, produced his best performance of the season to help Gujarat Titans beat Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets in the IPL 2022 final and win their first title.
After Sanju Samson won the toss and chose to bat, Pandya returned with impressive figures of 3/17 with his impeccable medium-fast bowling in the final, restricting Rajasthan to 130/9. Gujarat reached 133/3 in 18.1 overs in front of a magnificent crowd of more than 100,000 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, thanks to Pandya’s crucial 34 off 30 balls.
Hardik Pandya was named Man of the Match for his all-round performance, making him only the third captain to win the MOTM award in an IPL final, following Rohit Sharma and Anil Kumble.
