IPL 2018: Top 5 performances by Indians in the tournament so far

The 11th edition of Indian Premier League has been an exciting one thus far. Each of the eight franchises seems to be equally well balanced with little to separate among them. Most of the games have gone down to the wire and if the trend is anything to go by, the upcoming few weeks promise mouthwatering prospects in store for the fans.

Similar to the previous editions, this year's IPL too, has been witnessing some rip-roaring performances from local and foreign players alike. While the likes of Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Umesh Yadav have brought their best to the fore, overseas stars such as Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, and AB de Villiers have set the tournament ablaze with their jaw-dropping heroics.

As the first quarter of this year's tournament draws to an end, we look back at five of the many stunning performances by Indian players thus far. (Analysed up to the MI v RCB match on 17th April).

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#5 KL Rahul (Match No 2, KXIP vs DD)

KL Rahul helped KXIP kickstart its IPL campaign on the brightest note possible

Given the whopping sum attracted by KL Rahul in this year's auction, there was a huge air of anticipation surrounding his debut for Kings XI Punjab. The man from Karnataka was expected to deliver the goods right away and get his team off to a flying start, something that the Kings have been missing over the past few years.

Chasing a sub-par target of 166 against Delhi Daredevils, Rahul, expectedly, opened the batting for the men in red and grey. Taking the first strike, the right-handed batsman blazed away right from the word go. He offered no respect whatsoever to any of the bowlers and treated them with disdain.

Rahul went on to score a breathtaking fifty off just 14 deliveries, which also proved to be the quickest half-century in the tournament's history. The knock consisted of 6 fours and 4 massive sixes before he fell victim to Trent Boult.

#4 Mayank Markande (Match No 1, MI vs CSK)

Mayank Markande left the cricketing world in awe with his spin bowling

In addition to Dwayne Bravo's blitzkrieg, the first match of this year's IPL had also witnessed the emergence of Mayank Markande. This 20-year-old spinner from Punjab stunned the fans and experts alike with his exquisite show of spin bowling.

With little experience at his back, Markande made his debut for Mumbai Indians against a batting unit that boasted some big names in the shortest format of the game.

The young leggie, however, astonished everyone as he struck gold right away when he caught Ambati Rayudu leg before in front of the stumps. Markande went on to deliver a magical spell and even accounted for the prized scalp of MS Dhoni. His match figures of 4 overs for 23 runs and 2 wickets speak volumes about his talent and make him one to look out for the future.

Also, Markande followed up his dream debut with another bamboozling spell against Sunrisers Hyderabad when he ended up picking 4 wickets.

#3 Rohit Sharma (Match No 14, MI vs RCB)

Rohit Sharma led his team from the front with an inspiring knock

With three back-to-back losses, Mumbai Indians had their backs to the wall. The men in blue were under high pressure to set their campaign rollicking when they locked horns with Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore at Wankhede.

Being put into bat first, the home side got off to the worst start possible by losing wickets off the first two balls of the innings. Rohit Sharma walked out to the middle to face the music as a fired up Umesh Yadav looked on course to deliver yet another brilliant spell. However, what followed eventually left the RCB fans in dismay. Rohit Sharma joined Evin Lewis to add 108 runs for the third wicket before the latter departed.

However, there was no stopping Rohit Sharma at the other end as he continued to maul the Bangalore bowling attack. The Swashbuckler, much to the delight of the crowd, took the bowlers to the cleaners as he went on to blast 94 runs off 52 balls, consisting 10 fours and 5 maximums.

Thanks to the skipper's superlative effort with the bat, Mumbai Indians defeated RCB to get their first points in the tournament.

#2 MS Dhoni (Match No 12, KXIP vs CSK)

MS Dhoni smashed a quickfire 79 against KXIP

Chasing a stiff target of 198 against Kings XI Punjab, Chennai Super Kings found them in a precarious position after losing three quick wickets. Consequently, MS Dhoni walked out to the center to join Ambati Raidu and the duo steadied the ship by stitching a partnership of 57 runs.

However, the departure of Rayudu at a crucial juncture in the game meant the onus of steering the ship home for the men in yellow, fell on the shoulders of Dhoni.

With a skyrocketing asking rate and a stiff back to make things worse, MS Dhoni put the bowlers under the pump as he pummelled them with thundering blows. Giving glimpses of the Dhoni of the past, the CSK skipper hit boundaries at will as he raked up a quickfire 79 that included 6 fours and 5 gigantic sixes.

Dhoni, much to the disappointment of his fans, couldn't quite manage to pull off an unlikely victory as CSK were left in touching distance of an elusive victory.

#1 Sanju Samson (Match No 11, RCB vs RR)

Sanju Samson powered Rajasthan Royals to their second win of the tournament

Sanju Samson has been knocking on the doors of the national selectors for quite some time now. The youngster from Kerela is talked highly of in the cricketing circles and his recent knock against Royal Challengers Bangalore stands as yet another testimony to his skill.

The untimely departure of Ajinkya Rahane brought Samson to the middle in the sixth over of the innings. The right-handed batsman looked in sublime touch as he milked the bowlers all around the park.

Soon after finding his feet at the crease, Samson began to open his shoulders and tonked the likes of Chris Woakes, Umesh Yadav, and Kulwant Khejroliya to all corners of the Chinnaswamy stadium. With strokes filled with splendor, Samson thrilled the spectators and ended up with a magnificent 92 off 45 balls, consisting 2 fours and 10 sixes.