And one Saturday evening, under the Mumbai night sky, next to the Arabian Sea, with the 'God of Cricket' in attendance, Mumbai Indians were done in by the brilliance and resilience of Punjab Kings.
Here we encapsulate all the sporting action from last week in this stunning photo feature.
Chris Woakes and rookie pacer Olly Stone will be vying for a final spot in the playing eleven.
'I've always wanted to score a century in England. I scored a century against England in the Caribbean, but I would love to get one in England'
'We often in England, talk about express pace, but that's not what I'm seeing. It's relentlessness with the ball. It's (Glenn) McGrath-like that you do for a long period of time. It's not bowling bad balls and releasing the pressure.'
'It's a bit different and a bit weird, but it's just something we'll have to get used to'
Four openers. Two middle order batsmen. Two leg-spinners. Three fast bowlers. Harish Kotian picks his IPL XI from the league stages.
Rajasthan Royals' director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara on Friday said that all-rounder Chris Morris, who was brought by the franchise for Rs 16.25 crore in the IPL auction, will have a "very specific role of supporting" pace spearhead Jofra Archer.
Cricket can be a game of some complexity and nuance but as England showed in their dismantling of Australia in Thursday's World Cup semi-final, it can also be a remarkably straightforward sport.
Stars like Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer will miss the season due to injuries.
The 11th edition of the Indian Premier League will commence, on Saturday, April 7 and will end on 27th May
Rajasthan Royals face a herculean task when they take on mighty Chennai Super Kings in a must-win Indian Premier League (IPL) match, in Jaipur, on Friday.
The Englishman cut Cummins upishly only to see wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik leap to his left and pull off a two finger catch, which the commentators ruled was the catch of the tournament.
Facing an early exit after their sixth loss in eight games, bottom-placed Delhi Daredevils, under new skipper Shreyas Iyer, will have to treat each upcoming IPL game as a virtual knock-out, starting with their clash against Rajasthan Royals, in Delhi, on Wednesday.
Rishabh Pant said it "felt special" when Sourav Ganguly lifted him to celebrate the youngster's blistering 78 that steered Delhi Capitals to a six-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals and the pole position in the IPL.
Courtesy of an incredible death overs performance by their pace attack, Delhi Capitals outclassed Rajasthan Royals by 13 runs, in the IPL match, in Dubai, on Wednesday.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has handpicked Jos Buttler as the dangerman for the hosts in the showpiece, stating May 30.
England needed to win four straight games to lift the trophy - which they did, winning the title after a tied thriller against New Zealand.
Yuzvendra Chahal took 3/24 in his four overs which was instrumental in Royal Challengers Bangalore outclassing Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets.
India captain Virat Kohli moved up a place to fourth in the ICC T20 rankings for batsmen, while his deputy Rohit Sharma climbed three spots to 14th in the latest update issued on Wednesday.
The R Ashwin-led Kings XI slipped to the fifth spot after suffering back-to-back losses against Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively. Overall, the hosts have registered four wins from eight matches this season.
Rohit Sharma stroked an entertaining 64 from 34 balls, having hit five sixes and four fours, to power India to victory in the fifth T20I.
All-rounder Ben Stokes returns to England's squad for the first two Tests against India next month after he missed the two-match series against New Zealand in June following a finger injury he sustained during the Indian Premier League earlier this year.
Will Ishan Kishan get Rs 15.25 crore for one year, or for three years? Do the players get their IPL payments, whether it is in full or in part, and what is the payment schedule? Harish Kotian/Rediff.com explains all you need to know about IPL player payments.
It was the Manish Pandey show all the way as he smashed his way to an entertaining 83 not out from 47 balls to help Sunrisers register a convincing eight wicket win against the Rajasthan Royals.
He started off with a boundary off the first ball he faced in international T20 cricket and did not look back from that point. He glanced Jofra Archer fine on the leg side for his first four before pulling Sam Curran for another four in the next over.
Australia lead the five-match series 1-0 after their emphatic 251-run win at Edgbaston.
According to Ashwin, being in the COVID-19 lockdown made him realise just how lucky he was to play for India.
'I definitely feel it's going to be a real issue and a real factor over the next couple of years, in particular'
While debate continues over the state of the Ahmedabad pitch and whether it is suitable for Test cricket, England shot themselves in the foot before a ball was bowled by opting for a pace-heavy attack on a spinners' paradise in the third match against India.
England skipper Joe Root has backed James Anderson to hit peak form again, saying on Wednesday that the pace bowler's spot in the team is not in question ahead of the second Test against Pakistan starting on Thursday.
Wood believes Morgan's audacious ball striking, which helped England to a massive 397-6, sums up the team's fearless approach to one-day cricket in recent years.
England's most successful bowler James Anderson feels he and Stuart Broad should be paired together to lead the bid for a series win in the decisive Test against the West Indies. The hosts are spoilt for choice ahead of Friday's start of the third Test at Old Trafford with Anderson, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood all looking to return to the team.
Roy failed to reach double figures as World Cup favourites England suffered a surprise defeat to Pakistan last time out, but the 28-year-old was in imperious form to put England on course for their highest ever World Cup batting total and a 106-run victory over Bangladesh.
The ball moved enough in last week's Southampton Test between England and West Indies to erase any lingering doubt about swing bowling under cricket's COVID-19 protocols, manufacturer of the Dukes ball said.
England captain Eoin Morgan has kept the lid on who will move up to partner opener Jos Buttler and dismissed suggestions his side would be "strong favourites" against New Zealand in the semi-final of the Twenty20 World Cup on Wednesday.
England fast bowler Mark Wood said on Thursday that players are using 'back sweat' rather than saliva to try and shine the ball in the first Test against West Indies at the Ageas Bowl. Strict health protocols are in place for the return of international cricket after a 117-day stoppage caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including a ban on saliva.
Archer produced a sustained period of aggressive fast bowling in both of Australia's innings in the drawn second Test at Lord's, felling both Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.
'If England want to be the best in the world, they should move away from the fixation of just trying to beat Australia'
England's sporting global ambitions have never been fully realised since Sir Alf Ramsey's team won the 1966 FIFA World Cup. Whether it is Gary Linekar or Hary Kane, the 'Cup' that they desperately want never came home during the last five and half decades.
