Aaron Finch ranks top IPL openers, picks India captain Shubman Gill at top: The modern-day T20 cricket has completely changed the dynamics of the game. It has added more firepower rather than playing long innings. The game has tilted towards the batter, with most of the games the pitches are flat and high scoring for the fans to enjoy the best game in world cricket. Nowadays, bowling has become difficult as, even by the barest of margins, the ball goes for a boundary.
Across time, the game has evolved with the likes of Brendon McCullum, who came roaring in the first game of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) to kick start it grandly back in 2008, and now Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been awestruck by the former cricketer with his massive range hitting at the mere age of 15 years.
Aaron Finch ranks the best IPL openers
Amidst all these, former Australia captain Aaron Finch has ranked some of the most explosive modern T20 openers. He was asked to blind rank the openers, and as per the rule, he did not know who was coming next, so he ranked modern IPL openers from 1 to 8.
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The former Australia World Cup-winning captain, Aaron Finch, ranked Shubman Gill at no. 1 for his unreal consistency over the years. He has been one of the finest cricketers of this generation, but his strike rate has been one of the key concerns in his T20 batting. He is currently the second-highest run-getter in the IPL with 722 runs.
Where will Mitchell Marsh rank for you among the most explosive modern T20 openers? pic.twitter.com/klg44cUMWc
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 30, 2026
Indian batters dominate the IPL
Gill’s partner, Sai Sudharsan, was ranked at No. 2. The southpaw has had an excellent season; he has also scored over 700 runs this season for the Gujarat Titans. These two opening partners have created a massive impact for their franchise and have led them to the final of IPL 2026. They will be key on Sunday if GT has to win their second title.
Apart from Gill and Sudharsan, three other Indian batters, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, were ranked as per Finch’s prediction. The other three have also been core members of the India national cricket team in recent years. They will be seen in action again from July, and some in June.
He's [Shubman Gill] been ultra-consistent - Aaron Finch
Aaron Finch said, "Okay, there's going to be some really angry, passionate fans out there. Don't hate on me, please. Phil Salt — title winner — at No. 3. Sanju Samson at No. 4. Sai Sudharsan at No. 2. Abhishek Sharma at No. 5. Has he won a title? No. Travis Head at No. 6. Shubman Gill at No. 1."
"Just trying to think who's still to come. Yashasvi Jaiswal at No. 7. You've got seven and eight left. And finally, Mitch Marsh, sorry, Bison I've got to slide you in at No. 8, buddy. There you go."
"Okay, thanks. Anything you'd change? Who would be your No. 1 if you had to redo it? No. 1, I'm happy with Shubman at the top. He's been ultra-consistent, an unbelievable player, and he's led his team really well, which gets a few bonus points."
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