In a world where age and form seem to be at odds with each other, these IPL veterans defied expectations wrote their own narratives and left us all marveling at their incredible staying power.
IPL 2021 had many moments that made the tournament more special and fans asking for more.
Dwayne Smith cracked a blistering 79 as a dominant Chennai Super Kings steamrolled Delhi Daredevils by eight wickets for their sixth straight win in the Indian Premier League.
Lauding Chennai Super Kings opener Brendon McCullum's unbeaten 100 in his side's second consecutive win in Indian Premier League-8, SunRisers Hyderabad mentor VVS Laxman said the New Zealender's first ton of the season was a 'special innings'.
The Supreme Court's observations on the Indian Premier League fiasco appears to have had an effect on the Indian team at the World T20, as its media manager, Dr R N Baba, has issued a gag order on the media, stating that questions 'only on ICC World Twenty20' will be entertained.
India skipper Rohit Sharma is "not a big fan" of the IPL's 'Impact Player' rule as he feels it is hurting the country's all-rounders by not allowing cricketers like Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube to showcase their bowling prowess.
'I don't see him as a shrewd captain. I don't see him as a tactful captain (tactician). And he hasn't won the IPL. So ultimately, a captain is only as good as his record'
Sloppy fielding and lacklustre bowling let Chennai Super Kings down against Kolkata Knight Riders
Mahendra Singh Dhoni nearly pulled off a heist but Parthiv Patel's last ball run out helped Royal Challengers Bangalore edge past Chennai Super Kings by one run off the last ball in a thrilling finish.
Lauding Chennai Super Kings' team effort in their victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore, top-order batsman Suresh Raina on Monday credited skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's leadership qualities for the side's excellent showing in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Rishabh Pant was the leading run-scorer for Delhi Capitals in IPL-12 with 488 runs in 16 games.
India captain Virat Kohli said he would be 'sitting at home if he thinks like people from outside', responding, in his trademark combative style, to Gautam Gambhir's recent jibe at him, but without taking the former opener's name.
Dhoni presently endorses a healthy 25 brands, and found himself in fifth place on the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list last year, with earnings worth almost Rs 136 crore. How much of that is set to change, given that Dhoni has chosen to call time on his international career?
As in all successful comebacks, strong leadership will be key for the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals.
Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming rued the the lost opportunity to pick their former net bowler Varun Chakravarthy at the IPL auctions.
Vote for your best knock of the CSK vs RCB match.
David Warner pulverized a listless Chennai Super Kings attack into submission with some breathtaking strokeplay as Sunrisers Hyderabad won by six wickets to keep slim chances of qualifying for the IPL play-offs alive.
Continuity is an important aspect of squad building, said Fleming.
CSK has been aiming for 200-plus strike rates on good batting surfaces to put up imposing totals, said opener Devon Conway.
Having shown exceptional consistency in both red and white-ball cricket for Team India, Pant will now look to recreate the same magic for his franchise.
Suresh Raina smashed an unbeaten half-century as Chennai Super Kings booked a berth in the second qualifier with a comfortable seven-wicket win over holders Mumbai Indians in the IPL eliminator in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Even on paper, there is not much to choose, especially with Pune beating MI thrice this season including a comprehensive victory in Qualifier 1. But a impressive show by Mumbai in the final cannot be ruled out.
The West Indies put behind an acrimonious pay dispute with their cricket board to spank World champions India by 124 runs in the first One-day international of the five-match series, at the Nehru stadium in Kochi, on Wednesday.
Captain Rohit Sharma continued to lead by example as a thoroughly professional Mumbai Indians outclassed Pune Supergiants by eight wickets in an Indian Premier League encounter.
Dwayne Bravo termed the incredible 30-ball 68 against Mumbai Indians "my best-ever" innings, which paved the way for Chennai Super Kings' sensational return to the Indian Premier League (IPL).
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League-12 final played between Mumbai and Chennai in Hyderabad on Sunday
In other big movements, Punjab Kings have released their last edition's captain Mayank Agarwal, while West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Mumbai Indians all-rounder Hardik Pandya termed the last seven months the toughest of his life and dedicated the award-winning performance in the IPL match against Chennai Super Kings to those who stood by him.
Kulkarni was part of the commentary team of the official broadcaster before being approached by the five-time champions.
Rohit Sharma and Lendl Simmons hit half-centuries as Mumbai Indians demolished Chennai Super Kings by 41 runs to win their second Indian Premier League title, in Kolkata, on Sunday.
Despite staging a remarkable recovery to draw level 1-1 in the five-match series, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was unhappy with his team's showing in the second One-Day International against the West Indies, in Delhi, on Saturday.
RCB all-rounder Glenn Maxwell believes left-handers did the trick for CSK by exploiting the shorter boundaries at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Riding on a solid batting performance, the formidable Chennai Super Kings opened their Champions League Twenty20 campaign in style, defeating South Africa's Titans by four wickets in a high-scoring encounter in Ranchi on Sunday.
Hoping to end their 10-match losing streak in the IPL cricket tournament, Delhi Daredevils will look to turn their fortunes around on home turf when they take on an upbeat Rajasthan Royals at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma rates Suryakumar Yadav as one of the best players of spin bowling with an ability to play the difficult shots on bad tracks, which he displayed during his match-winning 71 against Chennai Super Kings, in IPL Qualifier 1.
A good came of cricket ended with a touch of unwanted controversy.
Rajneesh Gupta presents all the important numbers after the third week of IPL 2020.
Unlike in previous years when the under-19 players were in focus and even got lucrative offers, this time the franchises were rather subdued when it came to locking in the junior stars as evidently, it takes time for them to be mature enough for top-flight cricket.
'If there had been 10 teams in IPL 1, 2 or 3 the talent pool would have been stretched thin but now the depth in Indian cricket alone means you have seven world class players as the local Indian player and the overseas players complement them.'
India's leading off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin can use the IPL as a platform to revive his dwindling career in limited overs cricket, feels veteran batsman Subramaniam Badrinath.
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