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After a long break of six months, cricketers from around the world returned to the field to do what they do best. IPL 2020 got underway in the United Arab Emirates last Saturday with a high-profile clash between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.
The defending champions could not defeat their arch-rivals in Abu Dhabi, but Rohit Sharma's men managed to beat Kolkata Knight Riders later in the week. On the other side, Chennai Super Kings lost their next two matches of IPL 2020 against the Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals.
Royal Challengers Bangalore made a winning start to their IPL 2020 campaign by defeating IPL 2016 winners Sunrisers Hyderabad. Kings XI Punjab suffered a heart-breaking loss against Delhi, but they bulldozed RCB in their second match.
IPL 2020 promises to be the most competitive season in the tournament's history, and here's a look at the ten best images from the first seven days of IPL 2020.
10. Saurabh Tiwary turns back the clock in UAE
Before IPL 2020 began, very few fans believed that Mumbai Indians would give Saurabh Tiwary an opportunity to play in the season opener. However, an unfortunate injury to Ishan Kishan meant that Tiwary batted at number four for Mumbai.
In his two innings so far, the southpaw has aggregated 63 runs at a strike rate of 143.18. His performances have reminded the fans of the 2010 season, where Tiwary demolished the opposition bowling attacks while donning the blue jersey.
9. Sanju Samson blows away MS Dhoni's CSK
MS Dhoni has retired from international cricket, and there's a three-way fight between Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant to take Dhoni's place. While Rahul is the front-runner in the race, Samson strengthened his candidature with an incredible performance against Chennai Super Kings.
Playing at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sanju relentlessly destroyed the Chennai bowling attack as he scored 74 runs off 32 deliveries, including one four and nine sixes. Very few batsmen have dominated Chennai's bowling attack as Samson did in the first week of IPL 2020.
8. Faf du Plessis - The Game Changer
One of the biggest positives for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020 has been the form of Faf du Plessis. The South African batsman has amassed 173 runs in three matches for the team.
Besides, in the game against Mumbai Indians, du Plessis turned the momentum in Chennai's favour by taking two unbelievable catches on the boundary line. The dismissals of Hardik Pandya and Saurabh Tiwary helped Chennai gain the upper hand against Mumbai.
7. MS Dhoni's picture from the IPL 2020 game against MI
MS Dhoni made his return to the cricket field after approximately 14 months against Mumbai Indians.
He enjoyed himself in the middle, but a candid picture from the ground hints that the skipper might be slightly tensed as he does not have Chinna Thala Suresh Raina by his side in IPL 2020.
6. Marcus Stoinis - The Hero
Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis played a massive role in Delhi Capitals' Super Over win against Kings XI Punjab. In the first innings, Stoinis scored 53 runs to help Delhi post a respectable score on the board.
Who scored the most runs in IPL,click here to find out.
Next, Stoinis bowled an unbelievable final over as he did not allow Punjab to score one run off three balls. Stoinis bowled a dot and then scalped two wickets in two balls to take the game to a Super Over, where Delhi prevailed eventually.
5. Devdutt Padikkal shines on debut in IPL 2020
After a terrific performance in the domestic season, Devdutt Padikkal made his IPL debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2020. The youngster dominated The Orange Army as he aggregated 56 runs in his first IPL game.
The southpaw scored eight boundaries in his knock and played the aggressor's role in his partnership with Aaron Finch.
4. Sanju Samson flies
Sanju Samson was at his best against the Chennai Super Kings in match number 4 of IPL 2020. He top-scored for Rajasthan Royals in the first innings and then did a commendable job behind the stumps.
Samson's flying catch to dismiss Kedar Jadhav in the second innings was one of the highlights of IPL 2020s first week.
3. Andre Russell fails to deliver
After an uneventful CPL season, Andre Russell landed in the UAE to play for the Kolkata Knight Riders. An extraordinary innings was required from the Jamaican star in the first match only, but Jasprit Bumrah castled him with a terrific delivery.
Russell had faced ten deliveries and was looking to switch gears before Bumrah sent him back to the pavilion.
2. KL Rahul leads from the front
Kings XI Punjab skipper KL Rahul could not perform well on his captaincy debut, but he led from the front in the 2nd match as the right-handed batsman scored 132 runs off 69 deliveries against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
He shattered many records in his epic knock, and his celebration after touching the 3-figures mark gets a spot on this list.
1. Rohit Sharma's pull shot
Perhaps the best image of IPL 2020s first week was Rohit Sharma's pull shot from the match against Kolkata Knight Riders. The Hitman had a forgettable outing against Chennai Super Kings, but he made up for that failure with a superb knock in the second game.
Sharma won the Man of the Match award for his 54-ball 80. He used the pull shot multiple times in his inning to trouble the KKR pacers.
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