IPL 2015: Best XI from Week 4 of Indian Premier League
Another week, another seven days of spectacular Indian Premier League action featuring monster hits, incredible catches and nail-biting finishers galore.
However, which players have made the Bleacher Report team of the week?
With incredible performances from the likes of David Warner, Andre Russell and Trent Boult, among others, the selectors had a difficult job on their hands narrowing down the list.
But after many hours of deliberation and cups of coffee, here is the best XI from the fourth week of IPL 8.
Please note the selections are based on one-off individual performances rather than cumulative efforts during the games between the 27 April and the 3 May.
1. David Warner (captain)
1 of 11
Performance: 61 vs. Chennai Super Kings
Sunrisers skipper David Warner has been in sparkling form throughout IPL 8, and his brutal knock against the Super Kings set the tone for his team's emphatic 22-run win.
The Australian struck 12 boundaries off the 28 balls he faced and was particularly brutal on Mohit Sharma, whose four overs went for 54 runs.
Warner has now scored 378 runs from just eight innings and is second only to Ajinkya Rahane in the 2015 IPL run charts.
2. Ajinkya Rahane
2 of 11
Performance: 91 not out vs. Delhi Daredevils
Since registering a duck in his first innings of the current IPL season, Ajinkya Rahane has tapped into a rich vein of form, registering six 40-plus scores from nine innings.
His latest effort, a sublime unbeaten knock of 91 from just 54 balls, paved the way for Rajasthan's important return to winning ways with their 14-run success over Delhi.
Rahane has now produced three of the top 12 highest scores in the tournament so far, and his stock is continuing to rise across all formats of the game.
3. Sanju Samson (wk)
3 of 11
Performance: 76 vs. Mumbai Indians
Chasing 187 off an attack that includes the express pace of Lasith Malinga or the wily skills of Harbhajan Singh was never going to be easy, but Rajasthan almost succeeded thanks largely to Sanju Samson.
The 20-year-old wicketkeeper, batting at No. 3, blitzed a 35-ball half-century and went on to make 76 with 10 boundaries including three maximums.
Up until this knock, Samson had endured a relatively quiet IPL campaign, but this exhibition of clean striking will surely fill him with confidence for the rest of the tournament.
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4. Robin Uthappa
4 of 11
Performance: 80 not out vs. Chennai Super Kings
While back-to-back 30-plus scores indicated Robin Uthappa was in form, his unbeaten 80 against the Super Kings was his best contribution so far in the current campaign.
Although the runs came from just 58 balls, the innings was an exhibition of composure rather than brutality with the 29-year-old managing to find the boundary just eight times.
With Kolkata getting over the line with two balls to spare, Uthappa's knock could also be considered a masterclass in timing. Please note the opener has to drop into the middle order to make this XI.
5. Ambati Rayudu
5 of 11
Performance: 53 not out vs. Rajasthan Royals
While his top order laid the foundations, Ambati Rayudu put the icing on the cake to help set up Mumbai's impressive win over the high-flying Royals.
Together with Kieron Pollard, the pair blasted 61 runs from the last four overs of the Indians' innings to post an intimidating team total of 187, with the 29-year-old finishing unbeaten on 53 off 27 balls.
Rayudu boasts an impressive average of 41.27 from 27 ODIs but didn't make the cut for India's 2015 World Cup squad.
6. Sarfaraz Khan
6 of 11
Performance: 45 not out vs. Rajasthan Royals
While most 17-year-old's are still at school or starting out in the world of work, Sarfaraz Khan was crashing 45 runs off 21 balls delivered by the Royals' international-calibre attack.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore ace has only scored 127 runs in his short Twenty20 career so far, but judging by the quality of his stroke play here, the youngster can certainly play.
Unfortunately for Khan's team, the heavens opened and RCB's chance to close the gap on the top two was wiped out by the weather.
Please note unfortunately we don't have access to photos of Sarfaraz Khan.
7. Andre Russell
7 of 11
Performance: 55 and two for 20 vs. Chennai Super Kings
Andre Russell played a huge part in Kolkata's nail-biting victory over Chennai by making quality contributions in both disciplines.
Firstly, the 27-year-old picked up two wickets from four economical overs of fast-medium pace before blasting 55 off just 33 balls with four sixes to help his team over the line.
Despite only playing one Test for the West Indies, Russell has carved out an excellent career for himself in limited overs cricket and remains a sought-after white-ball exponent in the world's various T20 leagues.
8. Nathan Coulter-Nile
8 of 11
Performance: four for 20 vs. Kings XI Punjab
Nathan Coulter-Nile picked up four wickets and the man of the match award during his team's crushing nine-wicket victory over the Kings XI Punjab.
The 27-year-old has struggled of late taking just three wickets in his previous six IPL games but four scalps here indicate a return to form.
Pitching it up in his first spell, the Australian had Wriddhiman Saha caught behind before an aggressive spell later in the innings produced three more victims including danger man David Miller.
9. Brad Hogg
9 of 11
Performance: for for 29 vs. Chennai Super Kings
Brad Hogg may have made his professional debut 21 years ago, but thanks largely in part to the growth of the T20 cricket, the crafty veteran is still going strong today.
With his mixed bag of tricks, the Knight Riders spinner bagged a four-wicket haul against Chennai that included the scalp of Brendon McCullum and helped his side to a narrow win.
At the grand old age of 44, the Australian's international days are surely done and dusted, but given his recent form, who's to say how long Hogg can continue in this format of the game?
10. Zaheer Khan
10 of 11
Performance: two for 17 vs. Kings XI Punjab
India's forgotten man, Zaheer Khan, made a dramatic return to competitive cricket by removing both of Punjab's openers and initiating a nine-wicket victory.
The 36-year-old has been out injured for almost 12 months, and there were question marks as to whether the man with 311 scalps would be able to hit the ground running.
But picking up Virender Sehwag with just his second ball and Manan Vohra a few deliveries later proved that Khan can still perform on, at least, the IPL stage.
11. Trent Boult
11 of 11
Performance: three for 19 vs. Kings XI Punjab
The name is Boult...Trent Boult. Yes, the Kiwi seamer is clearly enjoying his first-ever IPL sojourn and has gone someway to repaying his $630K price tag by taking eight wickets already.
And the 25-year-old won the "battle of the left-armers" against Mitchell Johnson by ripping out three of Kings XI's top seven to help bring on a 20-run win.
While a price tag of approximately $630K (U.S.) doesn't seem to have fazed Boult, but his Sunrisers team have struggled for consistency and currently sit in fifth place in the table.
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