Chris Gayle powers Royal Challengers to consecutive wins

Chris Gayle's arrival last season turned Royal Challengers Bangalore from an also-ran into almost champions. He had a slow start to the 2012 season but found his form against Pune Warriors India. Chasing 183, Royal Challengers lost Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mayank Agarwal and Virat Kohli and were in struggling at 72 for 3 in the 12th over. That's when Gayle took over. He savaged legspinner Rahul Sharma for five consecutive sixes in the 13th over, smashing him over the straight boundary three times with the other two going over deep mid-wicket and deep square leg. That assault changed the game as Gayle went from 41 off 36 to 71 off 41. He would eventually perish for a 48-ball 81 but AB de Villiers and Saurabh Tiwary would see Royal Challengers home by ransacking 24 in the final over bowled by Ashish Nehra to win by six wickets.

Having found his groove, Gayle repeated the dose against Kings XI Punjab. The Royal Challengers were chasing a more moderate 164 this time and once again Gayle started slowly, taking 28 balls to make 30 and 41 balls to reach his half-century. But he opened up his shoulders to bludgeon the next 15 balls he faced for 38 runs, smashing three sixes and three fours. It took a blinder of a catch from David Hussey to remove Gayle for 87, but by then the damage had been done and Royal Challengers cantered home by five wickets.

Morne Morkel struggled to take wickets during South Africa's three-Test series against New Zealand that preceded the IPL until the third innings of the final Test, when he took 6 for 23. The fast bowler has carried that form into the IPL, where he is currently the Purple Cap holder, having taken 16 wickets from seven games for the Delhi Daredevils, who currently top the points table.

In the marquee match-up against the Mumbai Indians, Morkel helped bowl out one of the pre-tournament favourites for just 93. After conceding 16 runs in his first two overs, Morkel returned to clean up the tail, taking 2 for 6 in his second spell. He knocked RP Singh's off stump out of the ground before inducing Harbhajan Singh to edge one to the wicketkeeper. The Daredevils overhauled their target of 94 with seven wickets to spare

In the next game against Deccan Chargers, Morkel made inroads immediately, picking up a wicket with only his second ball to remove the dangerous Kumar Sangakkara. He then returned in the 17th over to strike twice more, first having Abhishek Jhunjunwala caught behind and then three balls later got his South Africa team-mate Dale Steyn to lob one to the cover fielder. He would finish with figures of 3 for 23 and Daredevils would go on to win by five wickets, thanks in part to a superb hundred from Kevin Pietersen, to move to the top of the points table.

If Morne Morkel has been the spearhead for the Daredevils, his team-mate Shahbaz Nadeem has been the surprise weapon. The 22-year old left-arm spinner has been economical in the IPL, giving away less than six runs an over, but he was still an unexpected choice to open the bowling against the Mumbai Indians with the likes of Richard Levi on strike. It turned out to be a masterstroke by the Daredevils though, as Nadeem bowled Davy Jacobs for a duck before picking up the big wicket of Richard Levi with the first ball of his second over to leave Mumbai Indians reeling at 3 for 2. He would end up with figures of 2 for 16 from his four overs, as the Daredevils cruised past their opponents.

Nadeem returned to his usual role of bowling in the middle overs against the Chargers but was no less effective for it, finishing with 3 for 16 this time. He struck with his first ball in the tenth over to send back an aggressive Shikhar Dhawan for 44. Parthiv Patel, who had raced to 45 from 27 balls, was his next victim, caught sweeping, as the Daredevils clawed back the momentum. He completed his haul of wickets when JP Duminy spooned a catch to short mid-wicket. Daredevils stuttered a bit in their chase, but wound up winning with five balls to spare