Cricketers with Most ‘Man of the Match’ awards in IPL
One of the biggest tournaments in world cricket, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has given plenty of cricketers the platform of their lives. Some of these players have contributed heavily to their team’s success in the league stages and sometimes, all the way to their title wins. As a result, they’ve earned the most ‘Man of the Match’ awards in the competition over the years.
Here’s a list of cricketers to have won the award maximum times:
Chris Gayle – 21
One of the biggest stalwarts of T2o cricket, the ‘Universe Boss’ plied his trade for the Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2011 to 2017. He was then bought by the Kings XI Punjab in 2018 and continues to be their star performer till date. In his nine years into the tournament, Gayle has topped the ‘Man of the Match’ awards list with 21 awards!
AB de Villiers – 20
Next in the list is Gayle’s former teammate at RCB, South Africa’s AB de Villiers. ‘Mr.360’ has earned quite a reputation for displaying his innovative batsmanship. Throughout his playing years in the IPL, AB has represented only one franchise. His sensational batting and extraordinary fielding skills have earned him 20 Man of the Match awards!
MS Dhoni – 17
‘Thala’ MS Dhoni has enthralled audiences over the years with his trademark big-hitting. As has been the case in international cricket, Dhoni is one of those cricketers who has often finished games for the Chennai Super Kings in the final moments. He has even led the Yellow Army to IPL title wins. And for this very reason, he has won 17 awards – highest for CSK!
Shane Watson – 17
Another superstar batsman in the Chennai line-up, Shane Watson was at his absolute best in the 2019 edition when he almost took CSK home in the finals. Batting with a bleeding knee, he didn’t give up till the last minute. Watto has often played the perfect opening blitz, setting up a solid foundation for the rest of the batsmen. Having represented the Rajasthan Royals and then Chennai, Watson has collected a total of 17 awards.
Rohit Sharma – 17
Having played for the Deccan Chargers earlier, Rohit Sharma is now a stable name in the Mumbai Indians batting line-up. He put up some match-winning performances for the Chargers and continued to do that for Mumbai, especially after taking up captaincy in 2013. Under him, Mumbai has won the IPL title on four occasions – the most for any team.
David Warner – 17
The ‘Bull’ David Warner quickly become a fan favourite among the Indian audiences with his swashbuckling batting over the years. The Australian southpaw has represented Delhi Daredevils in the past and now plays for the SunRisers Hyderabad.
Yusuf Pathan – 17
Yusuf Pathan first wreaked havoc in the IPL playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He was later bought by the SunRisers Hyderabad in the auctions. While he may not have been consistent enough with his performances in the last few years, his contributions reflect on the number of Man of the Match awards won by him.
