David Miller

A world T20 debacle in 2010 pushed Cricket South Africa to look for fresh and young talents who can dominate T20 cricket. David Miller was a successful batsman for the Dolphins in South African domestic cricket and was selected for the tour of West Indies where he made his T20 debut. Miller showed exemplary composure on his debut and steered the team from troubled situations to a respectable total. His qualities were valued and he was given a chance in the ODI series that followed the T20Is. He continued making valuable contributions for the team batting lower down the order when he was asked to go for big hits.

The IPL came as a success for Miller who dominated the league in the 2013 edition after making his debut in 2012. He made 418 runs from 12 innings with an average of 59.71 and a staggering strike rate of 161. He followed a successful 2013 IPL with two back to back strong seasons for the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL 2014 and 2015. He became a vital cog in the KXIP batting engine and drove the team’s fortune for the three years on the trot.

However, he could not maintain his highs and his performance dipped both in international cricket as well as in the IPL. Since the IPL  2015, Miller has not crossed 300-mark in any of the past seasons. 

Like many other players, Miller, too, has earned big money from IPL. Not only monetarily, the South African who made his international debut back in 2010, cemented his berth in South Africa’s ODI and T20I teams on the back of career-defining IPL season in 2013 and has been a regular feature for his country since then. 

Miller has the caliber of turning any game on its head but having said that, the explosive batter lacks consistency. Despite all of that, his high strike rates and ability to dominate both spinners and fast bowlers make him one of the best finishers of modern time. 

The batsman hit his maiden international century in 2015, a 130 against West Indies, and bettered his performances against the same opposition a couple of moons later. He was then selected to don South African colours during the World Cup held Down Under, later that year. Miller was also part of the Proteas during 2014 as well as 2016 World T20s. The finisher also played in the Champions Trophy in 2017 and the World Cup of 2019. 

The South African finisher might have been a bit inconsistent on the international scene but his contributions in the leagues, across the globe, have been unparalleled. Miller has provided his services in the leagues like Big Bash, Caribbean Premier League, Abu T10 League, Pakistan Super League, and T20 Blast. 

Before the IPL 2021 auction, Miller was released by KXIP and was bought by Rajasthan for Rs 75 lakh. After missing the first few features in 2021, the batter got the opportunity to don the Pinks and starred on his Royals debut where his compact 62 took his side home against the fiery Delhi Capitals. After the IPL got suspended, Miller went to Abu Dhabi to play a useful hand for Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL. 

(As of June 2021)