Half-way through the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League, the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament has witnessed some top quality catches. Rediff.com takes a look at some memorable ones.
With a most valuable player index (MVPI) of 702, Australian Glenn Maxwell has proved to be unstoppable with the bat having smashed 531 runs in 11 matches at an amazing strike rate of 195.
His career at the crossroads after a prolonged slump in form, embattled Ricky Ponting has revealed that he had sought help from his first Sheffield Shield coach Greg Shipperd in an effort to regain his mojoback.
Sachin Tendulkar led from the front and ensured his Mumbai Indians side a comfortable seven-wicket win over the Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League match at the Brabourne Stadium on Monday.
There is no clarity on the number of players in the auction pool because the deadline for franchises to prune the original list has been deferred to February 4.
A glamour-filled opening ceremony, featuring Bollywood personalities and all-girl English pop band TBC, performed for the Season 9 of the Indian Premier League, in Mumbai, on Friday.
Most of these incredible performances came against one team -- the Gujarat Lions.
With Delhi Daredevils on a nine-match losing streak at home, Mumbai Indians bowling coach Shane Bond said the visitors will look to exploit on the opposition's shortcomings in Thursday's IPL match in Delhi.
Chennai Super Kings take on table toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad in an Indian Premier League match, in Pune, on Sunday.
A marauding Chris Gayle, who fashioned Royal Challengers Bangalore to a thumping 21-run win over Delhi Daredevils in an IPL match on Thursday, said that it was the body balance which was important in his six-hitting exhibition at the Ferozshah Kotla.
Chennai Super Kings, flying high on a three-match winning streak, will look to seal their play-off berth when they take on an erratic Kings XI Punjab in a crucial preliminary match of the IPL, in Dharamsala on Thursday.
They might be inside the top-four in the points table right now after two consecutive wins but Chennai Super Kings batsman Mike Hussey says getting to the IPL playoffs remains a tough task and his side would have to be consistent in the remaining matches to make the cut.
They might be upbeat after a narrow win but defending champions Chennai Super Kings' chances of making the playoffs are still far from good, as they take on tournament-leaders Delhi Daredevils in a crucial IPL match in Chennai on Saturday.
His form has been a bit of concern but New Zealand captain Ross Taylor is confident that Delhi Daredevils' untested middle-order will "stand up" and be counted when required in the Indian Premier League.
Riding high on their opening match triumph, Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to continue in their winning streak when they take on a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Tuesday.
The Australia vice-captain struggled in the four-Test series in India preceding the IPL but has been at his attacking best in the Twenty20 tournament, where he has registered back-to-back 600-plus run seasons.
Twenty-four players, including 14 Indians (of which three are uncapped) and ten overseas, were retained as the retention window for the 2014 Pepsi IPL season closed at 1700 hours on Friday.
Their morale on the upswing after back-to-back victories, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will aim to continue the winning run when they take on the inconsistent Sunrisers Hyderabad in their fifth IPL cricket match in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
There will be a strong focus on buying uncapped Indian players with eight franchises gearing up to pick a maximum of 76 out of the 350 plus, who will go under the hammer at the auction for the 10th Indian Premier League.
Delhi Daredevils' chief coach Gary Kirsten has pointed out that he was the one who wanted multi-million dollar signing Yuvraj Singh in the team.
This season Punjab have certainly delighted.
After lining up on opposite sides in the memorable World Cup final earlier this month, Sachin Tendulkar and Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga, playing as a combined unit for Mumbai Indians, pose a major threat for a struggling Kochi Tuskers Kerala in an IPL match in Mumbai on Friday.
An inspired bowling performance by Shoaib Akhtar helped Kolkata Knight Riders score a run win over Delhi Daredevils in their Indian Premier League match in Kolkata on Tuesday.
Images from the Indian Premier League 3 match between the Delhi Daredevils and the Mumbai Indians at Ferozshah Kotla on Wednesday.
The master batsman displayed vintage touch as he smashed 63 from 32 deliveries, inclusive of 11 boundaries, against Delhi Daredevils, in the Indian Premier League match at the Ferozshah Kotla on Wednesday.
Rajneesh Gupta presents Rajasthan Royals's IPL record over the years.
Delhi Daredevils captain Zaheer Khan is hoping that West Indies' World T20 hero Carlos Brathwaite will be his usual attacking self when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders in their IPL match on Sunday. "Everyone knows that IPL is all about momentum. Every guy's contribution will be crucial. And after his performance in the World Cup final, Brathwaite is coming in with that kind of confidence. I am hopeful that he will carry forward that confidence in the IPL," Zaheer told mediapersons, in New Delhi on Tuesday. For 37-year-old Zaheer, the biggest positive will be working with youngsters from India as well as overseas.
Former India fast bowling great Zaheer Khan said that seeing his bowling partner Ashish Nehra make a successful comeback in international cricket has motivated him to do well in his last season of Indian Premier League. However, the 37-year old also said that he doesn't regret his decision to retire from international cricket. "I am very happy with my decision and I am sticking to that. I am very happy to see Ashish Nehra do well. In fact, he has motivated me quite a lot to get back to training. "I was very clear about walking away from international cricket. I am just happy to play this form of cricket. You kind of give it back while guiding the youngsters. This is something that I enjoy," said the captain of Delhi Daredevils.
Rahul Dravid always tells me that take the game to the end, believe in your ability.
Chennai Super Kings bowling coach Andy Bichel paid rich tributes to Mahendra Singh Dhoni terming him an "amazing man who never really shows that he is tired."
'I'm very confident our young batting side will go a long way in this tournament. I'm very happy with the way we have prepared this season. We will come good, definitely. Scores will come, I've full faith in our batters'
Delhi Darevils opener Quinton de Kock, who scored the first century of the ninth edition of Indian Premier League, said that 192 against RCB was always a gettable target on a good batting track like the one at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
While the likes of Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and Jos Buttler are already big hits with the fans, others like Rishabh Pant and Vijay Shankar will be looking for attention with some good performances.
The serial blasts in Jaipur may have left Shane Warne and Shane Watson in absolute panic but fellow Australian Adam Gilchrist refrains from any knee-jerk reaction and hopes the show --the Indian Premier League-- will go on.
India's batting ace Yuvraj Singh commanded the highest price, Royal Challengers Bangalore paying a massive 14 crore for him, while Dinesh Karthik was a surprise pick at 12.5 crore by Delhi Daredevils.
He has always opened the bowling for South Africa but speedster Morne Morkel isn't complaining at being used as a one-change bowler by his IPL team Delhi Daredevils.
Khaleel Ahmed wants to seal his spot in the 2019 World Cup bound Indian squad with some good performances in the upcoming series against the West Indies.
Rajneesh Gupta presents statistical summary of Rajasthan Royals and much more.
Virender Sehwag of Delhi Daredevils is currently the best performing captain. Shane Warne of Rajasthan Royals and V V S Laxman of Deccan Chargers offer the next best value for money, partly because they carry smaller price tags than the other captains.
Captain Sourav Ganguly led from the front to ensure his Kolkata Knight Riders side a comfortable 14 run win over Delhi Daredevils at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
