Matt Short IPL 2023 Review: Punjab Kings’ Power-Packed Top-Order Asset Australian opener Matt Short burst onto the IPL stage in 2023 with Punjab Kings, turning just 92 balls into 117 runs at a fiery strike rate of 127. Across six innings the right-hander peppered boundaries with 15 fours and four sixes, never letting the run-rate drop below a run-a-ball. His season-best 36 showcased the fearless approach that has made him a sought-after T20 specialist, and his 127 SR ranks among the highest for any debutant facing 90-plus deliveries last year. While primarily deployed as a pinch-hitting batsman, Short also rolled his arm over in three matches, conceding only 25 runs from four tight overs (economy 6.25) and keeping opposition batters guessing with subtle changes of pace. Although he is yet to claim his first IPL wicket, the control he offers gives Punjab Kings an extra bowling option on sluggish Indian tracks. With one season, one franchise and a growing reputation for quick runs, Matt Short has already stamped his identity as a 360-degree match-winner in the making. Expect bigger scores and more fireworks from the Punjab Kings opener when IPL 2024 rolls around.

Tim Southee has quietly become one of the IPL’s most bankable death-over specialists, piling up 47 wickets from 54 bowling innings across ten seasons for six franchises. The New Zealand quick’s most recent spell with Kolkata Knight Riders—his home since 2021—has seen him own the tough overs, landing four three-wicket hauls while never once conceding a five-for. Operating at an 8.67 economy rate and striking every 25.66 balls, Southee’s 1,206 legal deliveries have cost batters 1,742 runs but have also delivered momentum-turning breakthroughs. Away from the ball, the lower-order slugger has pounced on loose deliveries when asked, racing to 120 runs off only 107 balls, including eight fours and four sixes, with a top-score of 36. Yet the real story remains his mastery with the ball: three maximums in an innings on his best day, and a career-best haul of three wickets in a match—achieved four times—showing that Southee’s value rises when the pressure peaks.

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