IPL 2014 in photos
How IPL 2014 unfolded
The general elections in India forced the first stage of IPL 2014 to be held in the United Arab Emirates and the tournament was well received. Rajasthan Royals' wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson even had his own fan club•BCCI
In an otherwise disappointing campaign for Royal Challengers, the spindly legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal was a bright spot. He finished the tournament with 12 wickets in 14 games and was the most economical bowler in the tournament with 7.14 runs an over•BCCI
The sight of a batsman weaving out of the way of a bouncer is a rare one on Asian pitches, but here Kings XI Punjab's Wriddhiman Saha did well to evade a bouncer from Kolkata Knight Riders' Morne Morkel•BCCI
In 2012, AB de Villiers had plundered 23 runs off a Dale Steyn over to guide Royal Challengers Bangalore to a win. Two seasons later, he pulled off an encore, slamming Steyn for 24 runs to guide his side to a win. So audacious was de Villiers' 41-ball 89 that even Steyn applauded in appreciation. •BCCI
His bowling may not have matched up to his usual lofty standards, but Dale Steyn produced some sharp efforts in the field, including a bit of gymnastic genius against Delhi Daredevils. Here, the Mumbai Indians dugout wisely moved out of a leaping Steyn's way. •BCCI
Yusuf Pathan mowed down Sunrisers Hyderabad, slamming the fastest IPL fifty to help Kolkata Knight Riders pip Chennai Super Kings to second place on the points table. His 22-ball 72, which included seven sixes and a 26-run over against Dale Steyn, helped Knight Riders chase down 161 in 14.2 overs. Pathan celebrated with a muscle display•BCCI
Minutes later, that agony transformed into ecstasy as Aditya Tare swung the first ball he faced over long leg to give Mumbai a win, sparking exuberant celebrations among the team and the home crowd at the Wankhede Stadium•BCCI
Mumbai's fire and brimstone wore off in the wake of the IPL's MVP. Suresh Raina waltzed past 400 runs for the seventh season in a row. A stiff target of 174 was cut down to size as Raina's unbeaten 54 took his side to the second qualifier with eight balls to spare•BCCI
But the night was not done. Wankhede witnessed its second jaw-dropping innings as Raina entered the zone that everyone talks about. Super Kings hurtled to 100 in six overs. Raina himself was a mind-boggling 87 off 25 balls•BCCI
In the chase, Manish Pandey almost made it two centuries on the night. He hit a crisp 94 off 50, as Knight Riders launched a highly effective chase •BCCI
IPL 2014 got its first glimpse of Glenn Maxwell's devastating skills with the bat in Kings XI's first league game, against Chennai Super Kings. Maxwell batted right- and left-handed to rake up 95 off 43 balls, setting the scene for Kings XI dominance in the league stages •BCCI
David Miller brought out the look-ma-no-hands move while fielding in the deep against Rajasthan Royals in Sharjah•BCCI
In the league stages, IPL 2014 had just one game that went into the Super Over - between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals. Knight Riders muddled up a chase of 153 and Royals - buoyed by some smart batting from Steven Smith and Shane Watson - edged ahead on boundary count after a tie in the Super Over•BCCI
After two successful tournaments with Rajasthan Royals last year, Pravin Tambe had another good outing, emerging as their highest wicket-taker with 15 dismissals. His run in the tournament included a hat-trick against Kolkata Knight Riders that fashioned an unlikely win for Royals•BCCI
Kieron Pollard embellished his reputation for stunning catches at the boundary with a stupendous effort against Rajasthan Royals. He leapt and took a one-handed catch of Kevon Cooper and stumbled towards the boundary before crossing the playing area. Smartly, he tossed the ball backwards as he crossed the rope, did a quick turn and then dived full length to take another one-handed catch•BCCI
At Rs 4.5 crores, Corey Anderson was Mumbai Indians' second-costliest purchase in the auction. Until the must-win game against Rajasthan Royals, which decided the team for the fourth playoff spot, his highest score in the IPL was 39. As Mumbai set about chasing 190 in 87 balls to progress to the playoffs, it was Anderson who came good with an unbeaten 95 off 44 •BCCI
Downpours in Kolkata pushed the first qualifier into the reserve day•BCCI
"Papa, you are not a good player. You are not scoring runs." Virender Sehwag's form had left his son open to some schoolyard teasing. But winding the clocks back, Viru remedied the situation with a trademark effortless century. His 122 off 58 balls set Super Kings 227 to overhaul - a record, if they did it - for a place in the final•BCCI
However, once he was run out, courtesy a brilliant direct hit from George Bailey in the covers, the chase unravelled. Super Kings' middle order was stymied, and Kings XI progressed to their first IPL final•BCCI
Still, Kings XI kept fighting and managed to get it close with quick wickets at the end. If nerves had developed in the Knight Riders dugout, Piyush Chawla turned them to euphoria as he hit a crucial six off Mitchell Johnson in the penultimate over, and then knocked off the winning runs with a four over point. Even as he set off on a celebratory run, his team-mates caught up and floored him•BCCI
Chris Lynn's Fosbury Flop at the boundary to dismiss AB de Villiers and help Kolkata Knight Riders sneak a two-run win against Royal Challengers Bangalore was one of the enduring images of the IPL. He also scored a 45 but played just two games for the side in the IPL•BCCI
Irfan Pathan could barely contain his excitement when he got the wicket of Kieron Pollard to seal off a win for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Mumbai Indians. It was Mumbai's fifth straight loss - their worst start ever to an IPL season - but the points table looked very different at the end of the league stage•BCCI
Bought for Rs 14 crores in the auction, Yuvraj Singh had a torrid time through most of the early games in the IPL. Under pressure, he pulled out a near-perfect performance against Rajasthan Royals, slamming 83 off 38 and then taking 4 for 15. The denouement to that script, however, was written by Steven Smith and James Faulkner, who scored 65 off 17 balls to chase down 191. •BCCI
The eyes-on-the-ball philosophy is one of the tenets of fielding in cricket, but in this instance following that rule caused some pain to Ryan ten Doeschate and Manish Pandey, who collided while taking a skier against Royal Challengers Bangalore•BCCI
Expectedly, the game had plenty of drama. Ambati Rayudu was run-out attempting a second run off the decisive ball of the match and as the scores were level after 14.3 overs, the batsman was gutted thinking Mumbai had lost the playoff spot•BCCI
The elements intruded on play again and Kings XI's chase of 164 grew more complicated with every passing over. They slipped behind the Duckworth-Lewis equation and their worry over the match being curtailed contributed to a tame surrender. And so Knight Riders were the first team in the final•BCCI
Amid the mauling, R Ashwin took the time to quell some demons. He had sounded a pre-game warning to Maxwell about bowling more over the wicket. Maxwell's range of sweeps, reverse sweeps and switch hits had negated Ashwin's around-the-wicket ploy. After conceding 71 runs to him in 27 balls overall, the back-to-basics plan worked and Ashwin finally had his man •BCCI
On the big day, Wriddhiman Saha proved to be the surprise package for Kings XI. He slammed 115 not out off 55 - the first century in an IPL final - to lift his team to an imposing 199 for 4•BCCI
And so it was that Kolkata Knight Riders recorded their second IPL triumph•BCCI