Top 5 David Miller Batting Performances In IPL
David Miller during IPL 2022 for Gujarat Titans (BCCI)
South African batting barbarian David Miller, having epitomized the art of power-hitting, stands among the tallest luminaries of T20 cricket. Apart from his seniority within the South African cricketing spectrum, his tenure at the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been an illustrious saga, marked by his formidable presence for franchises like Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals and his instrumental role in steering Gujarat Titans to tournament glory in 2022.
Miller’s adeptness in finding the gaps and his ability to effortlessly launch the ball into the stands have solidified his reputation as a quintessential run-raider in the IPL.
Akin to the sage advice bestowed upon him by his father - “If it’s in the V, it’s in the tree. If it’s in the arc, it’s out of the park” - his approach at the crease is akin to a calculated assault, aimed at dominating the best of bowling attacks with utmost precision and finesse.
After David Miller became one of the 17 retentions made by Gujarat Titans for IPL 2024 season, here at OneCricket, we take a look back at five of his best batting performances in his IPL journey so far.
Top 5 IPL Knocks From David Miller:
1. 101* off 38 balls vs RCB, IPL 2013
David Miller in IPL 2013 vs RCB (BCCI)
In one of his earlier IPL stints for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), David Miller bludgeoned an astonishing 101* off just 38 balls to catapult his side to an improbable win over RCB in a 2013 league game at Mohali. Arriving to the crease early in the innings, with his side requiring nearly 130 runs from the last 10 overs, Miller launched his assault when the equation boiled down to 96 from the final 42 deliveries.
The dynamic left-hander blasted eight boundaries and seven towering sixes, belting the likes of RP Singh, Vinay Kumar, Ravi Rampaul and Chris Gayle in the process as KXIP surged to victory with two overs to spare. More than 10 years on, and Miller’s Mohali epic against RCB continues to remain one of IPL’s greatest run-chase knocks of all time.
2. 68* off 38 balls vs RR, IPL 2022
David Miller after Gujarat Titans stormed into the IPL 2022 finals (BCCI)
Playing against his former franchise Rajasthan Royals less than a year after being released by them, Gujarat Titans batting stalwart David Miller punched out a tense 68* off 38 balls in the first qualifier at a packed Eden Gardens. His innings was glittered with three boundaries and five sixes against the likes of Trent Boult and spin wizards Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Taking guard at the crease in the tenth over of Gujarat Titans’ run-chase, Miller shared an unbeaten 106-run partnership with skipper Hardik Pandya to steer his side to a clinical win with three balls to spare. The win also navigated Titans into the finals of the tournament, where he produced another 19-ball 32* against the same opponents in a title-winning cause.
3. 80* off 41 balls vs PW, IPL 2013
David Miller reached his 50 off just 29 balls vs PW in IPL 2013 (BCCI)
Before unleashing a run-chase knock for the ages against RCB in Mohali, Punjab Kings’ 23-year-old South African import displayed first signs of his batting dexterity with a sensational match-winning effort against Pune Warriors India.
Turning up for his side in their home ground at the halfway stage of the 2013 IPL, number five batsman David Miller faced 41 deliveries and clobbered five of them for boundaries and another five for vicious sixes on his way to scoring an unbeaten 80.
Slumping to 5-2 in their high-pursuit 186-run chase, Miller shared 128 runs with opening batsman and fellow half-centurion Mandeep Singh to surge the KXIP past the finishing line with a ball to spare.
4. 94* off 51 balls vs CSK, IPL 2022
David Miller works the ball away as MS Dhoni looks on during IPL 2022 (BCCI)
Unfurling yet another run-chase special for Gujarat Titans, David Miller helped his franchise gun down CSK’s 169-run total during their IPL 2022 faceoff in Pune. Remarkably, the entirety of his team’s top-order was blown away at 48-4 within their first eight overs.
Batting at number four, and arriving to the crease within the opening powerplay itself, Miller listed a scintillating 94* from just 51 balls as Gujarat Titans sealed their monumental task with a ball to spare. The cricketer lofted six maximums and eight boundaries during his sensational batting effort against the IPL giants, which featured a formidable bowling attack comprising of Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Moeen Ali and rising Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana.
5. 66 off 29 balls vs RCB, IPL 2014
David Miller in full flow against RCB in IPL 2014 (BCCI)
A year after butchering RCB through his run-chase hurricane at Mohali, Kings XI Punjab’s middle-order star David Miller brandished his bat against the same opponents, this time in front of their home crowd in Bengaluru.
Emboldened by Virender Sehwag and Glenn Maxwell’s batting blitz at the top of the order, Miller pulverized RCB’s bowling attack with a sizzling 29-ball 66 in the middle overs. The Proteas batting legend thumped eight boundaries and three sixes during his middle-order assault, and catapulted his side to a formidable 198-8 by the end of their 20 overs.
The total turned out to be 32 runs better than the best run-chase efforts of RCB’s famed batting line-up in the evening, as they composed just 166-9 in response.
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