How many players have appeared in every season of the IPL so far?

Virat Kohli has played in every season of the IPL. How many others have done this? And did any of them play for just one team, as he has? asked Himanshu Patel from India
You're right that Virat Kohli has appeared in every edition of the Indian Premier League since the first one back in 2008. Three others have done this, but none of them have played for the same team throughout.

The long-serving trio are MS Dhoni, who usually played for Chennai Super Kings but represented Rising Pune Supergiants when CSK were suspended (2016-17), Rohit Sharma (Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians) and Manish Pandey, who has actually turned out for seven different teams.

At The Oval last week Gudakesh Motie faced a hat-trick ball and hit it for six. How often has this happened? asked Katherine Miller from England
In the one-day international at The Oval last week, Adil Rashid dismissed the West Indian pair of Justin Greaves and Roston Chase with successive balls in the 22nd over - but the hat-trick ball was a short one and the new batter Gudakesh Motie smashed it over midwicket for six.

We don't have ball-by-ball data for a lot of matches, so it's quite hard to work out how often this has happened. I'm pretty sure there have been no instances in Test matches, but there is at least one more in an ODI, and another in a T20I. At Edgbaston in 2015, Grant Elliott of New Zealand dismissed England's Chris Jordan and Adil Rashid with successive balls in the 50th over, whereupon Liam Plunkett came in and hit the next delivery for six (he added another six from the next legal ball, after a wide).

New Zealand were also involved when, in a match in Kolkata during the 2016 T20 World Cup, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh took two wickets in two balls, again in the final over. The last delivery of the innings was the hat-trick ball - and Mitchell McClenaghan clouted it over the long-on boundary for six.

Who's the oldest player to appear in the IPL? And which IPL cricketer has the earliest date of birth? asked Abhik Ghoshal from Canada
The oldest man to appear in the IPL is the Australian left-arm wristspinner Brad Hogg, who was 45 years 92 days old when he played his final game, for Kolkata Knight Riders against Gujarat Lions at Eden Gardens in 2016. Next comes legspinner Pravin Tambe, who was 44 years 219 days old in May 2016, while up to third this year went MS Dhoni, at 43 years 322 days. Muthiah Muralidaran and Imran Tahir both played in the IPL when they were 42.

Just two men who were born in the 1960s played in the IPL: Sanath Jayasuriya, who was born on June 30, 1969, and Shane Warne (September 13, 1969). Then come two other distinguished Australians in Darren Lehmann (born February 5, 1970) and Glenn McGrath (February 9, 1970), before the Indian allrounder Sunil Joshi (June 6, 1970).

England won in Cardiff last week after both openers were out for ducks. How often has this happened, and was 312 the record score afterwards ? asked Keith Durbridge from England
England made 312 for 7 to beat West Indies in Cardiff last week despite both openers - Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett - falling for 0. This was the 51st instance of both openers making ducks in an ODI, but the recovery from such a disastrous start has been bettered only by New Zealand, who made 339 for 5 to beat England in Dunedin in 2018 after Martin Guptill and Colin Munro fell for 0: Ross Taylor hammered 181 not out.

Next comes Nepal's 310 for 8 against Oman in Kirtipur in April 2023, and New Zealand's 291 for 8 against West Indies at Old Trafford during the 2019 World Cup. In that one, both Guptill and Munro were out first ball, but New Zealand ended up winning by five runs.

Where does Joe Root's 166 last week stand on England's ODI list? And has anyone made their highest score in ODIs later than their 179th match, as Root did? asked Chris Goddard from England
That superb innings of 166 not out by Joe Root against West Indies in Cardiff last week was England's fifth-highest individual score in ODIs, a list headed by Ben Stokes' 182 against New Zealand at The Oval in 2023.

You're right that Root's 166 came in his 179th ODI, but a surprising number have made their highest score at a later stage - 34 men in all. They include Sachin Tendulkar, who made his career-best 200 not out (the first ODI double-century) in his 442nd match, against South Africa in Gwalior in February 2010. A quartet of distinguished Sri Lankans come next: Kumar Sangakkara made his highest ODI score of 169 in his 350th match, Mahela Jayawardene 144 in his 343rd, Muthiah Muralidaran 33 not out in his 321st, and Tillakaratne Dilshan 161 not out in his 310th. Virender Sehwag (219 in his 240th ODI) and Chris Gayle (215 in his 266th) are the other double-centurions on this list.