The first month of IPL 2016 is coming to an end and we have already witnessed some cracking games and mind-blowing performances. High intensity and great entertainment have always been the tournament's forte. We have witnessed some great players from around the world sharing an easy camaraderie and perform well together.
This year's IPL is sure to gift us with many more performances worthy of remembrance. But with this month coming to a close, let us quickly look back at some of the best and most consistent performers so far. From devastating bowling spells to destructive innings, this year's IPL has already seen it all.
Here are the top 7 performers of the month.
David Warner
One of the biggest reasons why Australia struggled in the World T20 2016 was because their star batsman David Warner failed to contribute anything substantially. That was surprising since the left-hander has a fair bit of experience in sub-continental conditions and was expected to light up the tournament.
But Warner is back with a vengeance having struck red hot form in this edition of the IPL. Be it the unconventional shots or the patient match-winning knocks, we have seen everything from Warner in this year's IPL already.
What the Sunrisers Hyderabad lack when it comes to their batting department, their captain more than makes up for it. The stylish Australian southpaw has been known to play dashing knocks at the top of the order. But he seems to have come of age and is taking more responsibility for his team now.
Warner has scored 386 runs in 7 matches at an average of 77.20. He has an astounding strike-rate of 168.55 to go with it. The Hyderabad skipper is currently the orange cap holder for being the leading run scorer.
Rohit Sharma
Though completely out of form in the ICC World T20 2016, Rohit Sharma has come back with a bang in this edition of the IPL. Rohit has been in phenomenal form this IPL and has had an instrumental role to play in the Mumbai Indians doing so well after an initial setback this season.
He has been the architect of two masterful run-chases for the Mumbai Indians this season. The first one came against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium where he scored an unbeaten 68 off 49 balls to lead his side to victory.
His second half-century of this year's IPL came against the Rising Pune Supergiants when Rohit scored a scintillating 85 not out off 60 balls and went on to bag the Man of the Match award.
He has now scored 383 runs from 9 matches at an average of 63.83 and strike-rate of 137.27. He is the second highest run-getter in this year's IPL so far.
Virat Kohli
Arguably India's best batsman at the moment, Virat Kohli has turned into a phenomenon of late as he has kept on scoring runs for fun this calendar year. After a prolonged slump in form last year, Kohli has come back with a bang as he breaks one record after another.
For India, Kohli has been incredible, carrying the team to the semi-finals of the World T20 almost single-handedly. He had started piling on the runs from the Australia tour earlier this year and carried on his good form in this year's IPL.
Kohli has been leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore by example as the entire franchise has become heavily dependent on him in the batting department. Kohli seems to be relishing the opportunity scoring heavily every day and having just brought up his maiden T20 century.
Kohli's figures are quite unreal -- he now averages just above 110 in T20s this year. He has amassed 381 runs from 6 matches at an average of 76.20 in this year's IPL so far.
Mitchell McClenaghan
The Mumbai Indians found themselves in deep trouble whenLasith Malinga was ruled out of this edition of the IPL due to injury. But much to their relief, Mitchell McClenaghan and Jasprit Bumrah have stepped in and made sure that his absence is not felt by the Mumbai Indians.
McClenaghan is currently the purple cap holder having picked up 13 wickets in 9 matches at an economy of 7.97. He has been bowling with pace and purpose up front as batsmen have found it particularly difficult to score off him.
He has also executed the yorkers perfectly at the death which has made him Rohit Sharma's go to bowler at the moment. Meagre when it comes to conceding runs and picking up wickets, McClenaghan has been leading the MI pace attack superbly this season.
AB de Villiers
What can one say of AB de Villiers that has already not been said? Virat Kohli has called him the best batsman of this generation. Though De Villiers failed to perform for South Africa according to expectations in the World T20 2016, he is backing to doing what he does best. That is dismissing bowlers all around the park.
The South African maverick has been in unbelievable form in this year's IPL as he has strung one successful partnership after another with Virat Kohli. In fact, the Kohli-ABD partnerships have turned out to be one of the most cherished things about this year's IPL so far.
When the two of the best batsmen in the world bat together, there is not much more that cricket fans can ask for. ABD has started coming in at number 3 for the RCB and with Kohli opening the innings now, they have enjoyed fruitful partnerships this season.
The Kohli and ABD pair has been devastating for any opposition. On the flip side, RCB have become too dependent on the duo when it comes to scoring runs.
De Villiers has amassed 316 runs from 6 matches at an average of 52.66. He has scored these runs at a great strike-rate of 166.31. Cricket fans around the world would pray that ABD keeps going!
Mustafizur Rahman
It is not surprising that Mustafizur Rahman has taken the IPL by storm. The canny left arm Bangladeshi pacer has been the talk of the town ever since he burst on to the scene. Mustafizur's performances are one of the primary reasons behind Bangladesh's exemplary success for a year now.
After his sublime spell of 2 for 9 off his 4 overs against the Kings XI Punjab, the SRH skipper David Warner was ecstatic as he called Mustafizur a special talent.
"Mustafizur Rahman is a special talent, Bangladesh should be privileged to have him. His change of pace and execution is brilliant," Warner said.
His variations particularly the slow off-cutters have proved to be fruitful as batsmen have struggled to read him. The promising left-armer dubbed as the 'Fizz' by his SRH team-mates now has 8 wickets from 7 matches.
Though he is 7th on the list of highest wicket-takers this season, Mustafizur has been one of the most talked about players this IPL. His endless guile has made it difficult for batsmen to score off him. He has an economy of 6.53 which is the best among the current top ten wicket-takers this season.
Gautam Gambhir
KKR have been an immensely successful outfit ever since Gautam Gambhir has taken over at the helm. The Delhi southpaw leads by example as he himself scores the majority of the runs for his franchise. It is not a very different story this time either as KKR are at the top of the table thanks to substantial contributions from their captain.
There have been talks of Gambhir having lost his touch but he seems to have got over it by putting in a lot of hard work. His 60-ball 90 against the SRH showed that he was back in form as he scored freely all around the ground in characteristic fashion.
The minor adjustments he has made to his batting technique and stance have paid him rich dividends. He also trained in mixed martial arts and gymnastics in Australia to sharpen his reflexes. All of that seems to be working wonders for him at the moment.
The KKR captain has scored 302 runs in his 7 matches at an impressive average of 60.40. His form, as always, remains crucial to KKR's chances in the tournament.
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