Former New Zealand fast bowler and top commentator Simon Doull recently described Kieron Pollard as the best finisher of all time in the IPL.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Doull was playing the ‘Winner Stays On’ format, where participants are asked to compare a series of players one by one on certain metrics, with the winner staying on compared to the next player.
In this specific instance, Doull was asked to choose among the finishers in IPL history. The selection of players reflects the best batsmen of last overs in IPL history.
To begin with, Doull was asked to choose between David Miller and Glenn Maxwell. They picked the Protean southpaw who is currently playing for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026 and has played for Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants in the past.
david miller preliminary winner
David Miller was a key part of the Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) line-up that finished runners-up in IPL 2014. Over the years, he has taken command in the final overs many times. His magnum opus came in the 2013 season when he scored a century in 38 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore after batting at number 5.
Simon Doull preferred Miller over players like Glenn Maxwell, Rinku Singh and Dinesh Karthik.
Miller ultimately lost to RCB and Australia’s Tim David.
simon doull likes tim david
Despite David’s relatively short career, Doull kept David in the game for a long time in the middle stages of the game.
Tim David has shown all his firepower in the last few years of IPL and all other T20 cricket in general. Recently, he became the second fastest player to score 1,000 runs in IPL based on number of balls. David also played an important role in RCB winning the IPL title last year.
Simon Doull chose David over several big names, including Albie Morkel, Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan, Dwayne Bravo and Hardik Pandya.
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Pollard finally finds a home
After this, Simon Doull threw David out of the game by giving preference to MS Dhoni over the Australian player.
Doull also chose MS Dhoni over Andre Russell, but when faced with the final choice of MS Dhoni or Kieron Pollard, he chose the latter.
Pollard retired from IPL in 2023 and has since been the batting coach of Mumbai Indians. As a player, Pollard was instrumental in leading MI to five IPL trophies – the only franchise for which he has played in the IPL.
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Pollard’s heroics with the bat in the closing overs are arguably too many to count. Apart from this, Pollard also contributed timely with the ball and was always active in the field.
MS Dhoni or Kieron Pollard❓
Simon Doull picks his best finisher #IPL History @GoogleIndia pic.twitter.com/gDTIY28bIv
– Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) 23 April 2026
