IPL 2015: Best XI from Week 3 of Indian Premier League
They say time flies when you're having fun. That is certainly the case in the Indian Premier League, with three weeks of the 2015 season already in the books.
Rajasthan Royals are the team who continue to set the pace at the top of the table, but they have cooled off after a hot start to the campaign.
Both Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore are on the rise, though there is still time for any team to climb up the standings.
We have picked out the best players from the tournament's past seven days.
Have we missed anyone? If so, state your case for any player you think has been snubbed from the line-up by using the comments section.
David Warner
1 of 11
Australian David Warner hit 91 for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders.
The opener blasted four sixes and nine fours to record the fourth-highest score of the IPL season so far.
Together with Shikhar Dhawan, the left-hander helped put on a first-wicket stand worth 130 for the Sunrisers, who went on to win the game by 16 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method.
Warner has 259 runs for the campaign to date—only Ajinkya Rahane (323) has scored more.
Shreyas Iyer
2 of 11
Shreyas Iyer and the rest of the Delhi Daredevils had a busy week, playing three times.
The young batsman started out with 31 against Kolkata Knight Riders and then smashed 83 from just 56 deliveries in the victory over Mumbai Indians.
Although he was out for a duck in the heavy defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore, the 20-year-old continues to look an outstanding prospect.
Iyer is level with Chennai's Brendon McCullum at the top of the six-hitting leaderboard, with the pair having cleared the rope 14 times apiece.
Virat Kohli
3 of 11
Both Virat Kohli and his team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, made a slow start to the season.
However, India's Test captain has made three excellent contributions with the bat, suggesting he is warming to the task at hand.
He hit 51 in a losing cause against Chennai Super Kings and then recorded unbeaten knocks of 62 and 35 as Bangalore crushed Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils.
Kohli now has 220 runs for the tournament so far at an impressive average of 55.
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Ajinkya Rahane
4 of 11
Ajinkya Rahane has been a star performer for the Rajasthan Royals in 2015.
The India international is currently the leading scorer in the IPL this year, with his 323 runs seeing him open up a comfortable lead in the battle to wear the orange cap.
He added to his tally with a fine unbeaten innings of 76 in the Royals' loss to Kings XI Punjab, a result that ended Rajasthan's perfect start to the season.
Rahane made just 18 in the defeat to the Royal Challengers Bangalore, his lowest score in the competition since recording a duck against King's XI back on April 10.
Suresh Raina
5 of 11
Suresh Raina dazzled for Chennai Super Kings in their 27-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Coming in at three, the left-handed batsman hit six sixes as he made 62 from a mere 32 deliveries.
Raina also weighed in with 29 against Kings XI Punjab, a game the Super Kings won by a distance, thanks to their bowlers restricting their opponents to 95 for nine.
The India batsman—who has claimed 32 wickets in his ODI career—is yet to be called into action with his off-spin.
JP Duminy
6 of 11
In truth, it was a mixed week for JP Duminy of the Delhi Daredevils.
The South Africa all-rounder could only manage scores of five and 13, respectively, in games against Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
However, sandwiched in-between those two disappointing knocks was an impressive unbeaten 78 against Mumbai Indians.
Duminy made his runs from 50 deliveries, in the process sharing in a second-wicket stand of 154 with fellow team-of-the-week selection Shreyas Iyer.
Ravindra Jadeja
7 of 11
Ravindra Jadeja claimed four wickets with the ball in Week 3 for Chennai Super Kings—he had managed just one previously in the entire campaign.
His left-arm off-spin certainly proved too tricky for Kings XI to cope with on Sunday.
The all-rounder claimed the wickets of George Bailey and David Miller in figures of three for 22, with Chennai bowling their opponents out for 95 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Jadeja, who also picked up one for 37 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, has yet to make a major contribution with the bat for the Super Kings in 2015.
Mitchell Starc
8 of 11
Mitchell Starc has quickly made up for lost time after a delayed start to his 2015 IPL season.
The Australia paceman missed the opening two weeks of the campaign for Royal Challengers Bangalore due to a knee injury that required rest.
However, the left-armer has claimed seven wickets in three appearances since arriving in India.
Starc has also been extremely miserly—in his 12 overs, he has only given up 66 runs. His economy rate of 5.50 is the best by any bowler in the tournament.
Yuzvendra Chahal
9 of 11
Yuzvendra Chahal continues to cause problems for opposing batsmen.
The leg-spinner now has 10 wickets for Royal Challengers Bangalore, with his best figures in the past seven days seeing him pick up three for 40 in the defeat to Chennai Super Kings.
He also added two more to his total against Rajasthan Royals, with opposing captain Shane Watson one of his victims.
Chahal has taken at least one wicket in all five of his IPL appearances to date this year.
Ashish Nehra
10 of 11
Chennai seamer Ashish Nehra returned figures of four for 10 against Royal Challengers Bangalore—the best by any bowler in the tournament in 2015.
The left-armer, now aged 35, picked up the prized scalp of Virat Kohli during his devastating four-over spell.
Nehra—who has played 17 Tests and 120 one-day matches for India in his career—now has 12 wickets for the season.
He has also gone at less than a run-a-ball rate for his captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Lasith Malinga
11 of 11
Lasith Malinga finally made his mark on the campaign in Week 3, decimating Sunrisers Hyderabad with a four-wicket haul in Mumbai.
The Sri Lankan claimed the early wicket of David Warner, then returned later in the innings to take three batsmen out in the space of four balls in the 19th over.
Malinga had previously only managed five wickets in six IPL appearances for the Indians this year.
But, when he is on form, there are few better bowlers in limited-overs cricket than the 31-year-old with the unorthodox action.
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