The Cricketer looks back on the opening week of the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League, picking out the eye-catching performances and notable moments from the opening batch of matches
It is early days in the 74-match marathon which covers more than nine weeks - but there is already a familiar sight at the top of the points table.
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings have got to a hot start, beating Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening game before seeing off Gujarat Titans with plenty to spare.
The latter contest saw CSK reach 206 for 6 batting first, helped by Shivam Dube's breezy half-century before an attack of Deepak Chahar, Mustafizur Rahman and Tushar Deshpande took two wickets each in a chase that never threatened the target.
Rajasthan Royals can also boast two wins from as many games, edging past Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals.
Central to their success has been powerplay wickets in the reply. Trent Boult and Nandre Burger have five between them.
DC have welcomed back Rishabh Pant for his first senior outings since being involved in a life-threatening car crash in December 2022, though they are yet to get off the mark.
Mumbai Indians are also winless through two games. Umesh Yadav held his nerve in the final over to inspire Titans to victory in Ahmedabad, a match as notable for the reception Hardik Pandya was given upon his return, as the drama which unfolded at the end.
And then Sunrisers Hyderabad turned on the afterburners on Wednesday (March 27), crushing the IPL record score amid a run-fest at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Rishabh Pant is back on a cricket field for the first time since his life-threatening car accident (SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)
Thirteen English are involved in the IPL and yet we have seen fewer than half across the opening week.
Sam Curran can claim to have had the biggest impact courtesy of his 63 from 47 balls which delivered victory over Capitals. Days later Curran took the wicket of Anuj Rawat but the scalp was in vain as RCB edged home by four wickets.
Liam Livingstone played a handy cameo in the victory over DC, hitting an unbeaten 38 from 21 balls in the chase.
Only Phil Salt can truly claim to have rival Curran's display with a half-century for Kolkata Knight Riders to victory over Sunrisers.
Five of KKR's top six were dismissed in the first eight overs for single-figure scores but the England opener, a late replacement for Jason Roy, held firm with 54 from 40 balls before Andre Russell took over at the death.
It was a less-than-ideal first few rounds for white-ball captain Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow, who across four innings combined failed to pass 11.
Luke Wood, picked up by MI to replace the injured Jason Behrendorff, endured a tricky time on his IPL debut, going wicketless from his two overs, shipping 25 runs, being replaced by Dewald Brevis during the second half of the game and then dropped completely for the loss to Sunrisers.
At the time of writing, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Will Jacks, Reece Topley, Tom Curran and Moeen Ali have yet to feature.
Of England's group at the IPL, Sam Curran produced the standout performance (IDREES MOHAMMED/AFP via Getty Images)
Sunrisers Hyderabad broke the record for the highest team total in the IPL by crushing 277 for 3 against MI.
Only Nepal (314 for 3), Afghanistan 278 for 3) and the Czech Republic (278 for 4) have registered bigger scores in men's T20s - making the SRH effort the best in a non-international.
Mumbai responded with 246 for 5, ensuring the match also set new watermarks for sixes (38) and total runs (523) in a T20 match.
It was a tortuous day for Kwena Maphaka, whose figures of 0 for 66 were the joint-third most expensive spell in IPL history and the worst by a debutant.
The stand-out performance came from player of the match Abhishek Sharma, who hit 63, unleashing 10 boundaries from his 23 balls. "The message for the batters has been pretty simple: go out and express yourself, and that has been great for me," he said.
Sunrisers signalled their intentions earlier in the week when falling agonisingly short of the 209 set by KKR as Harshit Rana kept Heinrich Klaasen quiet at the end.
Wanindu Hasaranga remains sidelined through injury (MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
There was always going to be plenty of scrutiny surrounding Mitchell Starc, returning to the IPL for the first time since 2015 as the most expensive auction signing in history.
And though KKR overcame Sunrisers, defending their 208 for 7, they were given late hope as Klaasen dispatched the Australian left-armer for four sixes from the penultimate over - leaving 13 to win from the last.
Virat Kohli marked his return to cricket after a two-month absence, during which he and Anushka Sharma had their second child, with a timely 77 as RCB chased 177 to beat Punjab Kings.
A landmark of a different kind looms on Friday (March 29) as Sunil Narine prepares to play in his 500th T20.
A tournament beset by a handful of withdrawals already is still awaiting the arrival of Sri Lanka legpsinner Wanindu Hasaranga who has been unable to shake off a left heel injury which he played through during Sri Lanka's series against Bangladesh.
The Men's T20 Player Index No.1 has endured an injury-ravaged last few months, having missed the ODI World Cup with a hamstring injury.
Join The Cricketer's brand new Whatsapp channel for the latest breaking news, comment and features - click here to become a member
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.