IPL 2015: Team of the Week (May 4-10)

With the group stages of the IPL almost coming to a close, teams now more than ever need to put a string of wins together to make it to the play-offs. While Chennai Super Kings look set to go through courtesy of their two wins in week five, the remaining three places are still up for grabs. So, in the penultimate week of the group stages, who were the players who outperformed the rest to make it into the team of the week? How many RCB players make it in? Are there any Kings XI players at all? For all of this and more, simply read on.

Chris Gayle - RCB

Chris Gayle

What do you do when you have been dropped/rested for a crucial game against one of the best sides in the IPL? That was the question Royal Challengers Bangalore opener Chris Gayle had to answer when he came out to bat against Kings XI Punjab. By smacking 117 runs off just 57 balls, Gayle answered in the way he knows best, go out and score big.

The West Indian beats his compatriot Lendl Simmons to the spot mainly because of the fact that it was his innings which sent RCB on their way to a humongous 138-run win. While he may not always come good, when he does get going, there are few better to watch than the big Jamaican.

Virat Kohli - RCB

Virat Kohli

If Gayle is the time bomb that can go off at any moment, Virat Kohli has been the pillar of consistency for RCB at the top of the order this season. Last week saw him continue his impressive run-scoring form this season with a 30, 40 and an 80 which helped his side to two wins out of three. The consistency with which Kohli has been scoring runs this season has been a key factor in RCB's charge up the table.

Despite having two of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket either side of him, the 26-year-old has continued to deliver consistently and while it sneaks under the radar at times, there is no denying his value to the side not just as captain, but as an opener who always gives them a good start.

AB de Villiers - RCB

AB de Villiers

To say AB de Villiers has had a quiet tournament until the game against Mumbai Indians on Sunday would be an understatement. Despite not scoring huge runs, the South African had managed to compile quite a few good knocks in the tournament so far and all at a very quick pace as well. Nothing though came close to his 133* against MI, which was the third-highest score in IPL history.

What was most surprising about the innings wasn't that it came off just 59 balls or ended with him having a strike rate in excess of 200, but the fact that he only managed four sixes in that innings. While there was plenty of innovation on show from the right-hander, the innings was proof that you don't always have to clear the boundary to score big scores in T20s.

Moises Henriques - SRH

Moises Henriques

If you had told any Sunrisers fan at the start of the tournament that they wouldn't play either Dale Steyn or Trent Boult, but still continued winning, they wouldn't have believed you. But after testing Kane Williamson, Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan, Moises Henriques finally got his chance against KKR. After a steady, if unspectacular, start, the Australian all-rounder has made some telling contributions with both bat and ball.

After a 20 and 41 earlier in the week, Henriques' 74* against Delhi Daredevils set the tone for his side's second successive win of the week. While David Warner has done the bulk of the scoring for most of the season, the 28-year-old's recent form has come at the perfect time as it provides the opening pair with some leeway in case they both fail, like they did against Delhi.

Ambati Rayudu - MI

Ambati Rayudu

When you look at the Mumbai middle-order, your first thoughts are always towards Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard and rightly so, given their T20 pedigree. But Ambati Rayudu's past few performances have shown just why the right-hander is the one teams should look out for. The 29-year-old came up with two back-to-back match-winning innings against Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings last week to keep his side in the reckoning for the play-offs.

His 49 off 40 against Delhi was a composed innings while his 34 off 19 against CSK was a belligerent one, which showed that he is ready to take over from Pollard as the finisher. Despite not having the same kind of power as the West Indian, the fact that he has succeeded more than often not is a good sign for both the club and the country.

Yusuf Pathan - KKR

Yusuf Pathan

While Andre Russell has dominated much of the headlines at KKR this season, one player who has proven his worth in the past week has been Yusuf Pathan. After a slow start to the IPL, the 32-year-old all-rounder demonstrated his destructive ability in the last three games. Whether it was providing a final flourish in the first innings or setting up the chase in the second, Pathan's strike rate of over 150 in each of his three games last week is proof that the all-rounder still has a role to play if KKR are to have any chance of retaining their title in front of their home fans in the final.

Ravindra Jadeja - CSK

Ravindra Jadeja

Throughout the season, if there was one player that most CSK fans were calling to be dropped, it was Ravindra Jadeja. His 15-day wait for a wicket finally ended against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. But the reason he makes it into the side is because of the fact that he was extremely economical in his three games throughout last week.

But his figures of 4-0-11-4 against RR proved that MS Dhoni was right to put his faith in the all-rounder who hasn't had too much to do in this tournament. It was his spell of tight and penetrative bowling that won the game for CSK, who were until then heading for their second successive home loss.

Mitchell Starc - RCB

Mitchell Starc

While some of the players who did well in the World Cup have struggled to recapture their form, Mitchell Starc has simply continued from where he left off at the World Cup. Before his arrival, RCB were struggling to get together too many wins even with the likes of Gayle, de Villiers and Kohli. But Starc's arrival has coincided with their upturn in form.

The left-arm pacer's ability to not only swing the ball but also bowl accurate yorkers at both the start and end of an innings has really made a difference to the RCB bowling attack. Last week saw him pick up eight wickets in three games, including two outstanding spells against CSK when he finished with 4-1-24-3 and Kings XI where he got 4-0-15-4.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar - SRH

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

One of the reasons why SRH have been able to afford to leave out both Dale Steyn and Trent Boult has been the form of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Although he doesn't have the pace to trouble the batsmen, his ability to swing the ball up front and bowl brilliant yorkers at the death means that he is not far behind Starc in terms of the best fast bowler in this tournament.

Even though he was slightly more expensive than usual last week, he picked up five crucial wickets and it was his death bowling that came to SRH's rescue as they were able to defend their total. If he keeps this going, not only will he finish with the purple cap but also give India the death bowler they have been craving for.

Piyush Chawla – KKR

Piyush Chawla

Throughout the IPL, all the talk of spinners in the KKR lineup has always been about two people, Sunil Narine and Brad Hogg. While the former has been embroiled in controversy with regards to his action and has only just come back to form, the latter didn't have a particularly great week.

Piyush Chawla stepped up at the right time last week to help his side keep their winning momentum going. His four wickets against DD set up the game for the batsmen and the last week also saw him promoted up the order and score crucial runs that won the game for his side.

Sreenath Aravind - RCB

Sreenath Aravind

If there is one thing that RCB have struggled to find over the years, it is a quality Indian bowler who can supplement the attack. This season, they seem to have rectified that with Yuzvendra Chahal and Harshal Patel, but arguably the pick of the lot is Sreenath Aravind, thanks largely to his performances last week.

Brought in for the game against Kings XI, the 31-year-old finished with figures of 4-27. In his second game of the tournament, against MI, where every bowler had gone for plenty, he bowled economically and conceded just 29 runs while also picking up a wicket.