IPL 2018 edition starts on April 07, and the final is scheduled to be on May 27 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

Chris Lynn

The Australian set the stage ablaze in last year's IPL edition, giving Kolkata Knight Riders explosive starts game-after-game. Lynn piled 384 runs at an audacious strike rate of 158. In the Big Bash League (BBL) this season, the volatile right-hander accumulated 127 runs in four matches at a staggering strike rate of 162.82.

Colin Munro

The New Zealander's brute display of sheer power-hitting and stellar form makes him a force to reckon with. In 2018 alone, the left-handed opener has amassed 367 runs at astounding strike rate of 192.14.

Mitchell Starc

Quick, at times unplayable, there is no bowler as fierce as the Australian. Royal Challengers missed the searing pace of Starc exceedingly in the last two seasons. If the left-arm quick remains available for the entire tournament, we are in for a treat!

Ben Stokes

There was nobody as sought after as Ben Stokes among fantasy cricket in India enthusiasts in last edition of IPL. Stokes has made plenty of headlines for the wrong reasons lately. The Englishman displayed great all-round skills in last year's edition to be chosen as the Most Valuable Player for Rising Pune Supergiant.

AB de Villiers

Mr. 360 AB de Villiers, the superman of cricket, is a cricketer with overflowing potential. So far in his IPL career, de Villiers has slammed 3 tons and has won 15 man-of-the-match awards. With Gayle's exit from RCB troop, the role of AB becomes all-important. Sure, he is the one who revels in responsibility.

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma is more than an hot-blooded batsman who has 3 ODI doubles to his name, but an able leader with three titles in the bag in the space of 5 years. His batting ability and headship makes Mumbai Indians one of the favourites again this year.

Virat Kohli

There is no better run machine in the world. He is touted the only one who can reach the summit of Sachin's 100 hundreds. It would not be a surprise if we get to witness a repeat of IPL 2016 season, in which Kohli piled 973 runs in 16 innings, studded with 4 hundreds.

Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit is in the mould of Lasith Malinga. Just like the latter, he has made himself a reputation for possessing an eerie ability to crush the toes and mastery in death bowling.

Mumbai Indians

If they play to their potential, there is no stopping defending champions Mumbai from going all the way. In Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Evin Lewis, Pat Cummins, Keiron Pollard and Hardik Pandya, they have an excellent mix to begin their title defence.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Led by Virat Kohli, there is no other team that will be more frantic for IPL trophy. With AB de Villiers, McCullum and DeKock in their ranks, they are quite strong contenders this year.

Delhi Daredevils

No other franchise has bolstered their squad to an extent Daredevils did. They got hold of a proven leader in Gambhir besides T20 specialists like Jason Roy, Glen Maxwell and Colin Munro. Plus, they've got Chris Morris and Kagiso Rabada to complete a terrific overseas troupe.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad have balanced their squad right. In David Warner, they have a admirable commander who will be accompanied by in-form Dhawan at the top. With experience of Bhuvi, guile of Rashid khan and all-round capabilities of Shakib Al Hasan, Sunrisers are one exciting unit.

The Top 5 Catches in IPL History

The Indian Premier League, or IPL, has certainly seen some incredible catches over the years, but these 5 stand out from the rest.

Ricky Ponting, April 2013

At 40 years of age, the former Australian skipper, Ricky Ponting, demonstrated that he had not lost any of his agility when he made a spectacular catch at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. In the Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils match he was the skipper for the former, and pulled off one of the IPL’s best-ever efforts in the field when he caught Unmukt Chand at cover, off Harbhajan Singh.

AB de Villiers, April 2010

2010 saw a youthful AB de Villiers as part of the Delhi Daredevils, and he managed to pull off one of the most magnificent catches ever seen at the boundary ropes in the game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The catch occurred during the last stages of the game which Delhi was very comfortably winning.

Faf du Plessis, April 2015

South African born Faf du Plessis is well known for his accomplished antics on the field, and ranks as one of the greatest catchers in IPL history thanks to an exceptional feat during the 2015 IPL as a member of the Chennai Super Kings. It was the 12^th match of the IPL 2015 season, and the Mumbai Indians were 6/1, Corey Anderson having been sent in.

Fans have seen their fair share of drama thanks to this player’s excellent antics, with many punters ruing the day they underestimated this world-class athlete when it came to placing IPL cricket bets!

Tim Southee and Karun Nair, April 2015

Tim Southee combined with Karun Nair to pull off a stunning catch for the Rajasthan Royals, and although the IPL of 2015 saw some incredible moments, none ranked as high as this relay. The Kings XI Punjab need just 33 to win from a measly 7 balls when George Bailey, the set batsman, fell victim to one of the cricket field’s most incredible combined fielding efforts.

Chris Lynn, April 2014

In a mighty effort to dismiss AB de Villiers, Chris Lynn managed an out-of-this-world catch. The game between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers Bangalore was powerfully poised with the Royal Challengers needing 6 to win from 3 balls. They had the multi-talented AB de Villiers at the crease, effectively boosting their chances of crossing the line, and Vinay Kumar managed to bowl a lengthy delivery. The South African, in turn, flicked to deep mid-wicket, making room, and the ball sailed high –but not high enough.

Chris Lynn, the Australian batsman who replaced Morne Morkel for the Kolkata Knight Riders, slipped initially, but then soared high into the air, catching the ball, before falling to the ground. Thanks to the fact that Lynn arched his back, holding the ball in the air while he fell, he managed to miss the rope.

The way that Lynn managed to recover from his slip, holding on to the ball while incorporating an incredible awareness of the rope’s position makes this the finest catch that the IPL has ever seen. Had Lynn hit the ropes, his team would have lost the match, and this player more than deservedly walked away with the Man of the Match award thanks to his quick thinking.