IPL in a nutshell: AB de Villiers was in a class of his own for Royal Challengers Bangalore

As we moved past the halfway stage of the tournament, the excitement and the Super Overs just kept coming in the IPL. Here is what caught the eye over the past week…

AB still the best around?

On 17 October 2003, Abraham Benjamin de Villiers made his first-class debut. Exactly 17 years on, he turned in his second match-winning display of the week for Royal Challengers Bangalore. It is two and a half years since his last international appearance but as he smashed three sixes on the spin to start the 19th over before clubbing Jofra Archer for another in the last to seal the win over Rajasthan Royals, no one was surprised. At 36, he remains one of the world's very best. T20 is continually changing the perspective of fans and players alike when it comes to what is gettable late in a chase but even so, a side needing 35 from 12 balls to win should not be considered clear favourites.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Yet with De Villiers at the crease, it felt inevitable that RCB would get home. Even with such a fine death bowler as Archer to bowl the last, once he hit the first of those three consecutive sixes, it was game over. It took until the fourth ball of the final over to make it official but that is what came to pass. De Villiers tucked the bat under his arm and walked off triumphant with 55 to his name from just 22 balls.

That innings was arguably his best of the week (go back any further and there are simply too many to choose from) given the situation but five days earlier, his destructive display against Kolkata Knight Riders pushed it close. Based on the numbers alone, it was better. Coming in with RCB 94-2 in the 13th over, De Villiers proceeded to bludgeon an unbeaten 73 from a mere 33 balls! He admitted afterwards that he had even surprised himself. De Villiers repeatedly cleared the stands in Sharjah and his six maximums were two more than rest of the two sides managed between them, he was just on another level.

He may not be playing international cricket anymore but does that mean he can no longer be considered the world's top batsman? On this evidence, the South African has to be in the discussion when it comes to T20 cricket - the only format he has played since 2018. The real question is whether there has been a better batsman across all formats in the last 20 years? While we ponder that, RCB can just be content to have a fit and firing AB de Villiers on their side as they push for a maiden IPL title.

Buttler ramps fastest ball in IPL history for four

More often than not in T20 cricket it is the batsmen who steals the headlines - just look at the sub-heading above! - with a big hitting knock of 30 or 40 even seen as more exciting than an equally valuable four-over spell of 1-25, for example. It is understandable to an extent but it often means that a bowler or bowlers need to do something special, particularly in the shortest format, to snatch the limelight from their blade-wielding counterparts.

This week, the fast bowlers' union decided to do just that. The big hitting continued, of course, but the pacemen were hitting back - hard. Delhi have two of the best in South Africa duo Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, while Tushar Deshpande also impressed in his first IPL appearances for the Capitals, and they came up against another star quick in Archer when they took on Rajasthan.

It was the England man who made his mark first, first ball of the match to be precise, bowling Prithvi Shaw with a beauty that nipped back to hit middle. The tone had been set and he ended with figures of 3-19 after four fantastic overs of fast bowling.

Two overs into the reply, the Royals were going well with Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler looking in good touch. Enter Nortje. He started with an 90mph delivery but Buttler dispatched it over wide long on. The Proteas bowler kept coming, Buttler kept going and ramped another 90-plus mph delivery for four with ease. That's when Nortje really cranked it up and his fifth ball of the over clocked a remarkable 97.1mph, even more remarkable was that Buttler was able to get down and ramp it for another four!

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

The next ball was slower, just the 96.3mph, but Buttler had no reply as it ripped past his inside edge, off his back pad and clattered into the stumps. The end of an enthralling passage of play, one that brought to life Sky Sports pundit Rob Key's oft-sighted phrase: cricket is a better game when pace is involved.

If you have caught any of the IPL action this week, you would have to agree. Rabada has been excellent throughout and took his 50th IPL wicket in Delhi's win over Chennai Super Kings, Nortje continues to impress having burst onto the world stage in the past year and Archer has been a rare bright spot for the Royals in a frustrating campaign.

Elsewhere, Navdeep Saini has been excellent for RCB and Lockie Ferguson was magnificent in his first appearance of the tournament for KKR - just the five wickets for the Kiwi; three in regulation and two in the Super Over. Often the spinners dominate the IPL wicket charts, but with the switch to the UAE this year, it is the quicks leading the way and it has made for compelling viewing.

The Universe Boss returns

What a difference a week makes. This time last week Kings XI Punjab were rock bottom of the IPL table with just one win to their name and their chances of making the top four appeared over. Things were even worse for Chris Gayle. Not only was the T20 legend unable to get into a failing side, he was hospitalised by a nasty bout of food poisoning.

However, over the past seven days, Gayle has risen from his sick bed, forced his way into the Kings XI, erm, XI and kickstarted their season. With openers KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal in fantastic form, in stark contrast to the rest of the team, the Jamaican's chance came an unfamiliar No 3 spot. Not that it affected the left-hander's big hitting in any way as he clubbed five sixes on his way to a 36-ball half-century to take down RCB.

There were more signs that the 41-year-old still has plenty to offer against Mumbai Indians, he made just 24 in the (first) chase but that included two sixes, one a trademark shot launched high over long on, but as perhaps the craziest game in IPL history went to a second Super Over, Gayle had a chance to make his mark once more.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

He needed no second invitation and with Kings XI needing 12 to win, he walloped Trent Boult's first ball over deep midwicket for a maximum and KXIP never looked back, completing a remarkable double Super Over win with two balls to spare. They still face an uphill battle to reach the knockout stage but with the Universe Boss back in the side, they are finding form at just the right time.

Mixed start for captain Morgan

When the Knight Riders snapped up Eoin Morgan in the auction, the assumption was that he had been brought in to lead the side. Of course, Morgan is a fantastic limited-overs batsman and has been in superb form over the past 12 months or so, but where is has shown himself to be truly elite is his captaincy. England's white-ball team have been transformed under his leadership and with his good friend Brendon McCullum as head coach, it seemed inevitable that KKR would utilise those skills.

Live Indian Premier League

They have - but only after a shaky start to the campaign with Dinesh Karthik as skipper. Karthik stepped down from the role this week to focus on his batting though and Morgan was handed the captaincy, giving McCullum and KKR the situation you fancy they were after all along.

It was a disappointing start for the Irishman though as, despite his unbeaten 39 from 29 balls, KKR were well beaten by a Quinton de Kock-inspired Mumbai in his first game at the helm. They came back well though in his second, Morgan again contributing with the bat, scoring a valuable 34, as a thrilling contest went to a Super Over.

Morgan and his charges were indebted to Ferguson as the Kiwi quick, having taken three wickets in normal play, added another two in three balls in the Super Over to leave KKR needing just three to win. It was left to captains old and new, Karthik and Morgan, to knock off the runs, which they did to give Kolkata a four-point cushion in the final play-off berth.

Super Over Sunday

We have touched upon it above but Sunday really was one of the most remarkable days of IPL action that we have ever seen! Both matches went to Super Overs - for the first time in the competition's history - with the second of them, between Mumbai and Kings XI, tied after the Super Over and requiring another one!

It is difficult to do justice to the drama, though we have done our best with the reports below, but this might be a case of having to see it to believe it. So, without any further ado, here are the highlights from those two remarkable games on 'Super Over Sunday'...

• Ferguson takes five as KKR win after Super Over

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

• Kings XI win thriller after double Super Over

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Shots of the week

Catches of the week