The third week of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) continued to keep the audiences engaged with some exciting brand of cricket. The first two weeks saw very closely fought contests in the season and the third week only extended the run of such thrilling finishes. The recently concluded week of the tournament saw the first five wicket haul been taken. It was Ankit Rajpoot from the Kings XI Punjab lineup who achieved the distinction.

Much to his disappointment, his efforts came in the losing cause. This, in itself, shows the brand of cricket that has been played in the last week. Despite such brilliant performances, the teams have faltered and fallen short of registering wins. Also, the recent week saw some serious changes in the points table. As the tournament is approaching the business end of the tournament, the fight for the final four slot is getting intense.

In the previous weeks, the languishing sides of the points table &#8211; Rajasthan Royals and the Delhi Daredevils &#8211; got back to winning ways. Furthermore, low totals like 118 and 132 were successfully defended in the week. All in all, it was an exciting week of cricket with some brilliant individual performances.

Here is the Best XI from the third week of IPL 2018:

Ambati Rayudu &#8211; Chennai Super Kings

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Ambati-Rayudu-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-244474" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ambati-Rayudu-1.jpg" alt="Ambati Rayudu" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244474" class="wp-caption-text">Ambati Rayudu plays a shot. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Ambati Rayudu had an excellent outing with the bat in the week. The veteran campaigner brought all his experience to good use to win two key matches for his side. In the match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ambati Rayudu was asked to bat in the middle order. He obliged and hit a brilliant 79 off just 37 balls with 9 fours and 4 sixes to his name.

He was unfortunate to have been run out in the game. In the game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rayudu was asked to open the innings. Yet again, he obliged and ended up with a brilliant match winning 82 to his name in just 53 balls. His partnership with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ms-dhoni-still-a-player-to-watch-out-for-says-former-windies-legend-viv-richards/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>MS Dhoni</strong></a> sealed the fate of the game for the Men in Yellow.

Kane Williamson &#8211; Sunrisers Hyderabad

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Kane-Williamson-3.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-243156" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Kane-Williamson-3.jpg" alt="Kane Williamson" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-243156" class="wp-caption-text">Kane Williamson of SRH plays a shot. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Kane Williamson is the only overseas skipper in the ongoing edition of the IPL. Williamson has managed to lead his side exceedingly well this season thus far. Last week, the SRH camp lost two matches that pushed them on the backfoot. In this week, Williamson and co. managed to eke out two brilliant wins by defending low totals of 118 and 132.

A lot of credit goes to Kane Williamson for his captaincy in both the games. With the bat, Williamson played a brilliant knock of 84 runs in the match against the Chennai Super Kings. Had a crucial no ball been called in the game, Williamson would have ended on the winning note for sure.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Shreyas-Iyer-3.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-245429" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Shreyas-Iyer-3.jpg" alt="Shreyas Iyer" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-245429" class="wp-caption-text">Delhi Daredevils&#8217; Shreyas Iyer. (Photo by Surjeet Yadav/IANS)</figcaption>

Shreyas Iyer had a big week in the IPL. He was handed the captaincy duties of the Delhi Daredevils in the tournament. He was appointed as the new captain of the franchise after the regular skipper Gautam Gambhir stepped down from his position. In the very first game that he played as the captain, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-match-26-dd-vs-kkr-review-knights-shredded-pieces-shreyas-thunderstorm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Iyer hammered an unbeaten 93</strong></a> off just 40 deliveries with 10 towering sixes against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

His efforts helped DD to post 219 on the board. Eventually, DD won the game, their second win in the season. Earlier, in the match against the Kings XI Punjab, Shreyas Iyer had played a very good knock to take his side to a striking distance away from the win. His fifty went in vain as he was dismissed in the final stage of the game.

AB de Villiers &#8211; Royal Challengers Bangalore

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/AB-de-Villiers-shot-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-242905" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/AB-de-Villiers-shot-1.jpg" alt="AB de Villiers" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-242905" class="wp-caption-text">AB de Villiers of Royal Challengers Bangalore in action. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption>

AB de Villiers is an absolute superstar. The veteran South African is one of the batting mainstays of the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The RCB camp were struggling with form and desperately needed a win to stay afloat in the competition. It was AB de Villiers who <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ab-de-villiers-innings-not-blind-hitting-plays-with-a-method-feels-dd-skipper-gautam-gambhir/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>played a thundering knock</strong></a> of 90 runs in just 39 deliveries against the Delhi Daredevils to win the game for his side.

Later in the next game, he played yet another cracking knock of 68 off mere 30 deliveries. In the innings, he also hit the longest six of the season this year, 111 metre maximum. Albeit RCB lost the game, the team would be happy to see ABD in full swing this season.

MS Dhoni (c &amp; wk) &#8211; Chennai Super Kings

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/MS-Dhoni-1-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-244501" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/MS-Dhoni-1-1.jpg" alt="MS Dhoni" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244501" class="wp-caption-text">Chennai Super Kings&#8217; MS Dhoni in action. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption>

Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni had failed to get over the line in the previous week in a last over finish against the Kings XI Punjab. Many thought that the best finisher had faded away with his abilities. But Dhoni proved that neither did his game fade away, nor did his abilities to finish the game.

In the match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore this week, Dhoni came up with spectacular batting to finish the game in style for his side. MS Dhoni arrived at the crease with his team reeling at 74/4. He added 101 runs with Ambati Rayudu to take his side closer in the run chase of 205. Eventually, he remained unbeaten on 70 off just 34 balls to win the match for his team.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Krishnappa-Gowtham-of-RR.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-243281" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Krishnappa-Gowtham-of-RR.jpg" alt="Krishnappa Gowtham of RR" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-243281" class="wp-caption-text">Krishnappa Gowtham of RR celebrates after winning the game. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

The Rajasthan Royals seemed to have lost the plot big time in the season. They, however, managed to get back to the winning ways in the recent week. In the match against the Mumbai Indians, they registered an improbable win. It all looked like a distant dream to chase down 167 in Jaipur when the middle order had imploded for the Rajasthan Royals.

However, a certain K Gowtham played the cameo of his life to win the game for his side. Gowtham slammed an unbeaten 33 off just 11 balls with four fours and two sixes to win the match for his side. Also, Gowtham has been very impressive with the ball and has bowled with decent success in the powerplays this season.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Jofra-Archer.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-243224" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Jofra-Archer.jpg" alt="Jofra Archer" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-243224" class="wp-caption-text">Jofra Archer of Rajasthan Royals. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Coming in to the season, there was one cricketer who had a lot of eyes on him. It was Jofra Archer. The Windies born cricketer has a big reputation in the shortest format of the game and he managed to live up to the same in the IPL as well. Archer finally was declared fit and he took the field against the Mumbai Indians.

In the match, Archer bowled a phenomenal penultimate over to scalp three wickets in the match. He dismissed Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, and Mitchell McClenaghan. He returned with figures of 3/22 in his quota of four overs on his IPL debut. He was rewarded with the Player of the Match for his performance.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Rashid-Khan-wicket.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-244904" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Rashid-Khan-wicket.jpg" alt="Rashid Khan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244904" class="wp-caption-text">Rashid Khan celebrates a wicket. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Rashid Khan is an absolute wizard with the ball. His franchise, the Sunrisers Hyderabad, are known as the best bowling lineup in the tournament and Rashid plays a big role for them. In the recent week, the Sunrisers successfully defended 118 against the Mumbai Indians. It was Rashid Khan who bowled an exceptional spell in the middle overs to dent the chances of the opposition camp.

He returned with highly impressive figures of 2/11. In the next game, the Sunrisers defended 132 against the Kings XI Punjab. In the match, KXIP were going great guns with their openers firing in all cylinders. It was Rashid who put the brakes on the chase and dismissed KL Rahul in the game. He eventually returned with figures of 3/19 in the game to win the match for his side.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Avesh-Khan.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-245420" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Avesh-Khan.jpg" alt="Avesh Khan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-245420" class="wp-caption-text">Avesh Khan celebrates a wicket. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

The 21-year old Avesh Khan got his first chance to play in the IPL 2018 in this particular week. Avesh, who was with the Royal Challengers Bangalore last year, turned up for the Delhi Daredevils this season. In his first appearance for the franchise, Avesh came up with a decent spell with the ball. He started off well but ended up messing it up in the final stages.

Avesh ended up with figures of 2/36 against the Kings XI Punjab. In the most recent game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-match-26-dd-vs-kkr-delhi-daredevils-player-ratings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Avesh came up with yet another impressive performance</strong></a>. Avesh returned with figures of 2/29 in his quota of four overs. This included the big wicket of Andre Russell.

Deepak Chahar &#8211; Chennai Super Kings

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Deepak-Chahar.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-244018" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Deepak-Chahar.jpg" alt="Deepak Chahar" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244018" class="wp-caption-text">Deepak Chahar of Chennai Super Kings celebrates fall of a wicket. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption>

Deepak Chahar has been one of the unsung heroes of the success of the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2018. In some games, he has bowled only a couple of overs, and there have been rare instances when he has got his complete quota of four overs. In either of the case, Chahar has managed to get a lot of assistance from the tracks and the new ball. He has managed to shape the ball both ways with the new cherry in hand.

His best in the season came this week<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-match-20-srh-vs-csk-chennai-super-kings-player-ratings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> against the Sunrisers Hyderabad</strong></a>. Chahar bowled his complete quota of four overs and gave away just 15 runs. He even bowled a maiden first up and ran through the SRH top order. He accounted for the wickets of Ricky Bhui, Manish Pandey, and Deepak Hooda.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Ankit-Rajpoot.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-244984" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ankit-Rajpoot.jpg" alt="Ankit Rajpoot" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244984" class="wp-caption-text">Ankit Rajpoot. (Photo by Surjeet Yadav/IANS)</figcaption>

Ankit Rajpoot became the first bowler in the IPL 2018 to take a five wicket haul. Rajpoot got his chance to play in the tournament in this particular week. He delivered with the ball and came up with some seriously good performances. While his first attempt was a decent one, his second was an outstanding one. Rajpoot ran through the Sunrisers Hyderabad top order in an away game in Hyderabad.

He dismissed the big names like Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, and Wriddhiman Saha to holt the hosts in the game. In the final over of the game, he dismissed Manish Pandey and Mohammad Nabi to complete his five wicket haul. He returned with figures of 5/14 in his four overs.

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<p>The third week of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) continued to keep the audiences engaged with some exciting brand of cricket. The first two weeks saw very closely fought contests in the season and the third week only extended the run of such thrilling finishes. The recently concluded week of the tournament saw the first five wicket haul been taken. It was Ankit Rajpoot from the Kings XI Punjab lineup who achieved the distinction.</p>
<p>Much to his disappointment, his efforts came in the losing cause. This, in itself, shows the brand of cricket that has been played in the last week. Despite such brilliant performances, the teams have faltered and fallen short of registering wins. Also, the recent week saw some serious changes in the points table. As the tournament is approaching the business end of the tournament, the fight for the final four slot is getting intense.</p>
<p>In the previous weeks, the languishing sides of the points table – Rajasthan Royals and the Delhi Daredevils – got back to winning ways. Furthermore, low totals like 118 and 132 were successfully defended in the week. All in all, it was an exciting week of cricket with some brilliant individual performances.</p>
<h3>Here is the Best XI from the third week of IPL 2018:</h3>
<h4>Ambati Rayudu – Chennai Super Kings</h4>
<figure id="attachment_244474" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-244474" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Ambati-Rayudu-1.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-244474" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ambati-Rayudu-1.jpg" alt="Ambati Rayudu" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244474" class="wp-caption-text">Ambati Rayudu plays a shot. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Ambati Rayudu had an excellent outing with the bat in the week. The veteran campaigner brought all his experience to good use to win two key matches for his side. In the match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ambati Rayudu was asked to bat in the middle order. He obliged and hit a brilliant 79 off just 37 balls with 9 fours and 4 sixes to his name.</p>
<p>He was unfortunate to have been run out in the game. In the game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rayudu was asked to open the innings. Yet again, he obliged and ended up with a brilliant match winning 82 to his name in just 53 balls. His partnership with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ms-dhoni-still-a-player-to-watch-out-for-says-former-windies-legend-viv-richards/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>MS Dhoni</strong></a> sealed the fate of the game for the Men in Yellow.</p>
<h4>Kane Williamson – Sunrisers Hyderabad</h4>
<figure id="attachment_243156" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-243156" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Kane-Williamson-3.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-243156" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Kane-Williamson-3.jpg" alt="Kane Williamson" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-243156" class="wp-caption-text">Kane Williamson of SRH plays a shot. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Kane Williamson is the only overseas skipper in the ongoing edition of the IPL. Williamson has managed to lead his side exceedingly well this season thus far. Last week, the SRH camp lost two matches that pushed them on the backfoot. In this week, Williamson and co. managed to eke out two brilliant wins by defending low totals of 118 and 132.</p>
<p>A lot of credit goes to Kane Williamson for his captaincy in both the games. With the bat, Williamson played a brilliant knock of 84 runs in the match against the Chennai Super Kings. Had a crucial no ball been called in the game, Williamson would have ended on the winning note for sure.</p>
<h4>Shreyas Iyer – Delhi Daredevils</h4>
<figure id="attachment_245429" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-245429" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Shreyas-Iyer-3.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-245429" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Shreyas-Iyer-3.jpg" alt="Shreyas Iyer" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-245429" class="wp-caption-text">Delhi Daredevils’ Shreyas Iyer. (Photo by Surjeet Yadav/IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Shreyas Iyer had a big week in the IPL. He was handed the captaincy duties of the Delhi Daredevils in the tournament. He was appointed as the new captain of the franchise after the regular skipper Gautam Gambhir stepped down from his position. In the very first game that he played as the captain, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-match-26-dd-vs-kkr-review-knights-shredded-pieces-shreyas-thunderstorm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Iyer hammered an unbeaten 93</strong></a> off just 40 deliveries with 10 towering sixes against the Kolkata Knight Riders.</p>
<p>His efforts helped DD to post 219 on the board. Eventually, DD won the game, their second win in the season. Earlier, in the match against the Kings XI Punjab, Shreyas Iyer had played a very good knock to take his side to a striking distance away from the win. His fifty went in vain as he was dismissed in the final stage of the game.</p>
<h4>AB de Villiers – Royal Challengers Bangalore</h4>
<figure id="attachment_242905" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-242905" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/AB-de-Villiers-shot-1.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-242905" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/AB-de-Villiers-shot-1.jpg" alt="AB de Villiers" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-242905" class="wp-caption-text">AB de Villiers of Royal Challengers Bangalore in action. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>AB de Villiers is an absolute superstar. The veteran South African is one of the batting mainstays of the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The RCB camp were struggling with form and desperately needed a win to stay afloat in the competition. It was AB de Villiers who <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ab-de-villiers-innings-not-blind-hitting-plays-with-a-method-feels-dd-skipper-gautam-gambhir/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>played a thundering knock</strong></a> of 90 runs in just 39 deliveries against the Delhi Daredevils to win the game for his side.</p>
<p>Later in the next game, he played yet another cracking knock of 68 off mere 30 deliveries. In the innings, he also hit the longest six of the season this year, 111 metre maximum. Albeit RCB lost the game, the team would be happy to see ABD in full swing this season.</p>
<h4>MS Dhoni (c &amp; wk) – Chennai Super Kings</h4>
<figure id="attachment_244501" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-244501" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/MS-Dhoni-1-1.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-244501" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/MS-Dhoni-1-1.jpg" alt="MS Dhoni" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244501" class="wp-caption-text">Chennai Super Kings’ MS Dhoni in action. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni had failed to get over the line in the previous week in a last over finish against the Kings XI Punjab. Many thought that the best finisher had faded away with his abilities. But Dhoni proved that neither did his game fade away, nor did his abilities to finish the game.</p>
<p>In the match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore this week, Dhoni came up with spectacular batting to finish the game in style for his side. MS Dhoni arrived at the crease with his team reeling at 74/4. He added 101 runs with Ambati Rayudu to take his side closer in the run chase of 205. Eventually, he remained unbeaten on 70 off just 34 balls to win the match for his team.</p>
<h4>K Gowtham – Rajasthan Royals</h4>
<figure id="attachment_243281" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-243281" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Krishnappa-Gowtham-of-RR.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-243281" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Krishnappa-Gowtham-of-RR.jpg" alt="Krishnappa Gowtham of RR" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-243281" class="wp-caption-text">Krishnappa Gowtham of RR celebrates after winning the game. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The Rajasthan Royals seemed to have lost the plot big time in the season. They, however, managed to get back to the winning ways in the recent week. In the match against the Mumbai Indians, they registered an improbable win. It all looked like a distant dream to chase down 167 in Jaipur when the middle order had imploded for the Rajasthan Royals.</p>
<p>However, a certain K Gowtham played the cameo of his life to win the game for his side. Gowtham slammed an unbeaten 33 off just 11 balls with four fours and two sixes to win the match for his side. Also, Gowtham has been very impressive with the ball and has bowled with decent success in the powerplays this season.</p>
<h4>Jofra Archer – Rajasthan Royals</h4>
<figure id="attachment_243224" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-243224" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Jofra-Archer.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-243224" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Jofra-Archer.jpg" alt="Jofra Archer" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-243224" class="wp-caption-text">Jofra Archer of Rajasthan Royals. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Coming in to the season, there was one cricketer who had a lot of eyes on him. It was Jofra Archer. The Windies born cricketer has a big reputation in the shortest format of the game and he managed to live up to the same in the IPL as well. Archer finally was declared fit and he took the field against the Mumbai Indians.</p>
<p>In the match, Archer bowled a phenomenal penultimate over to scalp three wickets in the match. He dismissed Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, and Mitchell McClenaghan. He returned with figures of 3/22 in his quota of four overs on his IPL debut. He was rewarded with the Player of the Match for his performance.</p>
<h4>Rashid Khan – Sunrisers Hyderabad</h4>
<figure id="attachment_244904" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-244904" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Rashid-Khan-wicket.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-244904" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Rashid-Khan-wicket.jpg" alt="Rashid Khan" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244904" class="wp-caption-text">Rashid Khan celebrates a wicket. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Rashid Khan is an absolute wizard with the ball. His franchise, the Sunrisers Hyderabad, are known as the best bowling lineup in the tournament and Rashid plays a big role for them. In the recent week, the Sunrisers successfully defended 118 against the Mumbai Indians. It was Rashid Khan who bowled an exceptional spell in the middle overs to dent the chances of the opposition camp.</p>
<p>He returned with highly impressive figures of 2/11. In the next game, the Sunrisers defended 132 against the Kings XI Punjab. In the match, KXIP were going great guns with their openers firing in all cylinders. It was Rashid who put the brakes on the chase and dismissed KL Rahul in the game. He eventually returned with figures of 3/19 in the game to win the match for his side.</p>
<h4>Avesh Khan – Delhi Daredevils</h4>
<figure id="attachment_245420" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-245420" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Avesh-Khan.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-245420" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Avesh-Khan.jpg" alt="Avesh Khan" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-245420" class="wp-caption-text">Avesh Khan celebrates a wicket. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The 21-year old Avesh Khan got his first chance to play in the IPL 2018 in this particular week. Avesh, who was with the Royal Challengers Bangalore last year, turned up for the Delhi Daredevils this season. In his first appearance for the franchise, Avesh came up with a decent spell with the ball. He started off well but ended up messing it up in the final stages.</p>
<p>Avesh ended up with figures of 2/36 against the Kings XI Punjab. In the most recent game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-match-26-dd-vs-kkr-delhi-daredevils-player-ratings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Avesh came up with yet another impressive performance</strong></a>. Avesh returned with figures of 2/29 in his quota of four overs. This included the big wicket of Andre Russell.</p>
<h4>Deepak Chahar – Chennai Super Kings</h4>
<figure id="attachment_244018" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-244018" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Deepak-Chahar.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-244018" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Deepak-Chahar.jpg" alt="Deepak Chahar" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244018" class="wp-caption-text">Deepak Chahar of Chennai Super Kings celebrates fall of a wicket. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Deepak Chahar has been one of the unsung heroes of the success of the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2018. In some games, he has bowled only a couple of overs, and there have been rare instances when he has got his complete quota of four overs. In either of the case, Chahar has managed to get a lot of assistance from the tracks and the new ball. He has managed to shape the ball both ways with the new cherry in hand.</p>
<p>His best in the season came this week<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-match-20-srh-vs-csk-chennai-super-kings-player-ratings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> against the Sunrisers Hyderabad</strong></a>. Chahar bowled his complete quota of four overs and gave away just 15 runs. He even bowled a maiden first up and ran through the SRH top order. He accounted for the wickets of Ricky Bhui, Manish Pandey, and Deepak Hooda.</p>
<h4>Ankit Rajpoot – Kings XI Punjab</h4>
<figure id="attachment_244984" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-244984" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Ankit-Rajpoot.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-244984" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ankit-Rajpoot.jpg" alt="Ankit Rajpoot" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244984" class="wp-caption-text">Ankit Rajpoot. (Photo by Surjeet Yadav/IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Ankit Rajpoot became the first bowler in the IPL 2018 to take a five wicket haul. Rajpoot got his chance to play in the tournament in this particular week. He delivered with the ball and came up with some seriously good performances. While his first attempt was a decent one, his second was an outstanding one. Rajpoot ran through the Sunrisers Hyderabad top order in an away game in Hyderabad.</p>
<p>He dismissed the big names like Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, and Wriddhiman Saha to holt the hosts in the game. In the final over of the game, he dismissed Manish Pandey and Mohammad Nabi to complete his five wicket haul. He returned with figures of 5/14 in his four overs.</p>
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<p>The third week of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) continued to keep the audiences engaged with some exciting brand of cricket. The first two weeks saw very closely fought contests in the season and the third week only extended the run of such thrilling finishes. The recently concluded week of the tournament saw the first five wicket haul been taken. It was Ankit Rajpoot from the Kings XI Punjab lineup who achieved the distinction.</p>
<p>Much to his disappointment, his efforts came in the losing cause. This, in itself, shows the brand of cricket that has been played in the last week. Despite such brilliant performances, the teams have faltered and fallen short of registering wins. Also, the recent week saw some serious changes in the points table. As the tournament is approaching the business end of the tournament, the fight for the final four slot is getting intense.</p>
<p>In the previous weeks, the languishing sides of the points table &#8211; Rajasthan Royals and the Delhi Daredevils &#8211; got back to winning ways. Furthermore, low totals like 118 and 132 were successfully defended in the week. All in all, it was an exciting week of cricket with some brilliant individual performances.</p>
<h3>Here is the Best XI from the third week of IPL 2018:</h3>
<h4>Ambati Rayudu &#8211; Chennai Super Kings</h4>
<figure id="attachment_244474" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-244474" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Ambati-Rayudu-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-244474" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ambati-Rayudu-1.jpg" alt="Ambati Rayudu" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244474" class="wp-caption-text">Ambati Rayudu plays a shot. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Ambati Rayudu had an excellent outing with the bat in the week. The veteran campaigner brought all his experience to good use to win two key matches for his side. In the match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ambati Rayudu was asked to bat in the middle order. He obliged and hit a brilliant 79 off just 37 balls with 9 fours and 4 sixes to his name.</p>
<p>He was unfortunate to have been run out in the game. In the game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rayudu was asked to open the innings. Yet again, he obliged and ended up with a brilliant match winning 82 to his name in just 53 balls. His partnership with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ms-dhoni-still-a-player-to-watch-out-for-says-former-windies-legend-viv-richards/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>MS Dhoni</strong></a> sealed the fate of the game for the Men in Yellow.</p>
<h4>Kane Williamson &#8211; Sunrisers Hyderabad</h4>
<figure id="attachment_243156" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-243156" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Kane-Williamson-3.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-243156" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Kane-Williamson-3.jpg" alt="Kane Williamson" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-243156" class="wp-caption-text">Kane Williamson of SRH plays a shot. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Kane Williamson is the only overseas skipper in the ongoing edition of the IPL. Williamson has managed to lead his side exceedingly well this season thus far. Last week, the SRH camp lost two matches that pushed them on the backfoot. In this week, Williamson and co. managed to eke out two brilliant wins by defending low totals of 118 and 132.</p>
<p>A lot of credit goes to Kane Williamson for his captaincy in both the games. With the bat, Williamson played a brilliant knock of 84 runs in the match against the Chennai Super Kings. Had a crucial no ball been called in the game, Williamson would have ended on the winning note for sure.</p>
<h4>Shreyas Iyer &#8211; Delhi Daredevils</h4>
<figure id="attachment_245429" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-245429" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Shreyas-Iyer-3.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-245429" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Shreyas-Iyer-3.jpg" alt="Shreyas Iyer" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-245429" class="wp-caption-text">Delhi Daredevils&#8217; Shreyas Iyer. (Photo by Surjeet Yadav/IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Shreyas Iyer had a big week in the IPL. He was handed the captaincy duties of the Delhi Daredevils in the tournament. He was appointed as the new captain of the franchise after the regular skipper Gautam Gambhir stepped down from his position. In the very first game that he played as the captain, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-match-26-dd-vs-kkr-review-knights-shredded-pieces-shreyas-thunderstorm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Iyer hammered an unbeaten 93</strong></a> off just 40 deliveries with 10 towering sixes against the Kolkata Knight Riders.</p>
<p>His efforts helped DD to post 219 on the board. Eventually, DD won the game, their second win in the season. Earlier, in the match against the Kings XI Punjab, Shreyas Iyer had played a very good knock to take his side to a striking distance away from the win. His fifty went in vain as he was dismissed in the final stage of the game.</p>
<h4>AB de Villiers &#8211; Royal Challengers Bangalore</h4>
<figure id="attachment_242905" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-242905" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/AB-de-Villiers-shot-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-242905" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/AB-de-Villiers-shot-1.jpg" alt="AB de Villiers" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-242905" class="wp-caption-text">AB de Villiers of Royal Challengers Bangalore in action. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>AB de Villiers is an absolute superstar. The veteran South African is one of the batting mainstays of the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The RCB camp were struggling with form and desperately needed a win to stay afloat in the competition. It was AB de Villiers who <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ab-de-villiers-innings-not-blind-hitting-plays-with-a-method-feels-dd-skipper-gautam-gambhir/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>played a thundering knock</strong></a> of 90 runs in just 39 deliveries against the Delhi Daredevils to win the game for his side.</p>
<p>Later in the next game, he played yet another cracking knock of 68 off mere 30 deliveries. In the innings, he also hit the longest six of the season this year, 111 metre maximum. Albeit RCB lost the game, the team would be happy to see ABD in full swing this season.</p>
<h4>MS Dhoni (c &amp; wk) &#8211; Chennai Super Kings</h4>
<figure id="attachment_244501" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-244501" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/MS-Dhoni-1-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-244501" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/MS-Dhoni-1-1.jpg" alt="MS Dhoni" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244501" class="wp-caption-text">Chennai Super Kings&#8217; MS Dhoni in action. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni had failed to get over the line in the previous week in a last over finish against the Kings XI Punjab. Many thought that the best finisher had faded away with his abilities. But Dhoni proved that neither did his game fade away, nor did his abilities to finish the game.</p>
<p>In the match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore this week, Dhoni came up with spectacular batting to finish the game in style for his side. MS Dhoni arrived at the crease with his team reeling at 74/4. He added 101 runs with Ambati Rayudu to take his side closer in the run chase of 205. Eventually, he remained unbeaten on 70 off just 34 balls to win the match for his team.</p>
<h4>K Gowtham &#8211; Rajasthan Royals</h4>
<figure id="attachment_243281" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-243281" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Krishnappa-Gowtham-of-RR.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-243281" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Krishnappa-Gowtham-of-RR.jpg" alt="Krishnappa Gowtham of RR" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-243281" class="wp-caption-text">Krishnappa Gowtham of RR celebrates after winning the game. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The Rajasthan Royals seemed to have lost the plot big time in the season. They, however, managed to get back to the winning ways in the recent week. In the match against the Mumbai Indians, they registered an improbable win. It all looked like a distant dream to chase down 167 in Jaipur when the middle order had imploded for the Rajasthan Royals.</p>
<p>However, a certain K Gowtham played the cameo of his life to win the game for his side. Gowtham slammed an unbeaten 33 off just 11 balls with four fours and two sixes to win the match for his side. Also, Gowtham has been very impressive with the ball and has bowled with decent success in the powerplays this season.</p>
<h4>Jofra Archer &#8211; Rajasthan Royals</h4>
<figure id="attachment_243224" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-243224" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Jofra-Archer.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-243224" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Jofra-Archer.jpg" alt="Jofra Archer" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-243224" class="wp-caption-text">Jofra Archer of Rajasthan Royals. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Coming in to the season, there was one cricketer who had a lot of eyes on him. It was Jofra Archer. The Windies born cricketer has a big reputation in the shortest format of the game and he managed to live up to the same in the IPL as well. Archer finally was declared fit and he took the field against the Mumbai Indians.</p>
<p>In the match, Archer bowled a phenomenal penultimate over to scalp three wickets in the match. He dismissed Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, and Mitchell McClenaghan. He returned with figures of 3/22 in his quota of four overs on his IPL debut. He was rewarded with the Player of the Match for his performance.</p>
<h4>Rashid Khan &#8211; Sunrisers Hyderabad</h4>
<figure id="attachment_244904" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-244904" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Rashid-Khan-wicket.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-244904" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Rashid-Khan-wicket.jpg" alt="Rashid Khan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244904" class="wp-caption-text">Rashid Khan celebrates a wicket. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Rashid Khan is an absolute wizard with the ball. His franchise, the Sunrisers Hyderabad, are known as the best bowling lineup in the tournament and Rashid plays a big role for them. In the recent week, the Sunrisers successfully defended 118 against the Mumbai Indians. It was Rashid Khan who bowled an exceptional spell in the middle overs to dent the chances of the opposition camp.</p>
<p>He returned with highly impressive figures of 2/11. In the next game, the Sunrisers defended 132 against the Kings XI Punjab. In the match, KXIP were going great guns with their openers firing in all cylinders. It was Rashid who put the brakes on the chase and dismissed KL Rahul in the game. He eventually returned with figures of 3/19 in the game to win the match for his side.</p>
<h4>Avesh Khan &#8211; Delhi Daredevils</h4>
<figure id="attachment_245420" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-245420" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Avesh-Khan.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-245420" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Avesh-Khan.jpg" alt="Avesh Khan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-245420" class="wp-caption-text">Avesh Khan celebrates a wicket. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The 21-year old Avesh Khan got his first chance to play in the IPL 2018 in this particular week. Avesh, who was with the Royal Challengers Bangalore last year, turned up for the Delhi Daredevils this season. In his first appearance for the franchise, Avesh came up with a decent spell with the ball. He started off well but ended up messing it up in the final stages.</p>
<p>Avesh ended up with figures of 2/36 against the Kings XI Punjab. In the most recent game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-match-26-dd-vs-kkr-delhi-daredevils-player-ratings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Avesh came up with yet another impressive performance</strong></a>. Avesh returned with figures of 2/29 in his quota of four overs. This included the big wicket of Andre Russell.</p>
<h4>Deepak Chahar &#8211; Chennai Super Kings</h4>
<figure id="attachment_244018" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-244018" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Deepak-Chahar.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-244018" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Deepak-Chahar.jpg" alt="Deepak Chahar" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244018" class="wp-caption-text">Deepak Chahar of Chennai Super Kings celebrates fall of a wicket. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Deepak Chahar has been one of the unsung heroes of the success of the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2018. In some games, he has bowled only a couple of overs, and there have been rare instances when he has got his complete quota of four overs. In either of the case, Chahar has managed to get a lot of assistance from the tracks and the new ball. He has managed to shape the ball both ways with the new cherry in hand.</p>
<p>His best in the season came this week<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-match-20-srh-vs-csk-chennai-super-kings-player-ratings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> against the Sunrisers Hyderabad</strong></a>. Chahar bowled his complete quota of four overs and gave away just 15 runs. He even bowled a maiden first up and ran through the SRH top order. He accounted for the wickets of Ricky Bhui, Manish Pandey, and Deepak Hooda.</p>
<h4>Ankit Rajpoot &#8211; Kings XI Punjab</h4>
<figure id="attachment_244984" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-244984" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2018/04/Ankit-Rajpoot.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-244984" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ankit-Rajpoot.jpg" alt="Ankit Rajpoot" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244984" class="wp-caption-text">Ankit Rajpoot. (Photo by Surjeet Yadav/IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Ankit Rajpoot became the first bowler in the IPL 2018 to take a five wicket haul. Rajpoot got his chance to play in the tournament in this particular week. He delivered with the ball and came up with some seriously good performances. While his first attempt was a decent one, his second was an outstanding one. Rajpoot ran through the Sunrisers Hyderabad top order in an away game in Hyderabad.</p>
<p>He dismissed the big names like Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, and Wriddhiman Saha to holt the hosts in the game. In the final over of the game, he dismissed Manish Pandey and Mohammad Nabi to complete his five wicket haul. He returned with figures of 5/14 in his four overs.</p>
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Here is a look at the top performers of the third week.

IPL 2018, Week 3 - Best XI of the Week

The third week of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) continued to keep the audiences engaged with some exciting brand of cricket.