Undoubtedly IPL is a big platform for players. Some get paid for their brilliance by getting a call-up to the national fold and some perish with their mediocre performances.
Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab paved their way to the IPL-7 final in style. Riding on Manish Pandey's brilliant 50-ball 94, Kolkata clinched their second IPL trophy in three years with a thrilling three-wicket win over Gorge Bailey-led Punjab.
ALSO SEE Best moments of IPL-7 in pictures
Just like previous six seasons, IPL-7 season also saw many ups and downs.
In the past seasons, controversies and scandals took centre stage but the seventh edition ensured clean cricket to restore the faith of the fans.
Cricketnext takes a look at the best moments of the seventh edition of the tournament:
ALSO SEE Kolkata beat Punjab to lift second IPL title
Pravin Tambe's hat-trick: Rajasthan Royals' legspinner Pravin Tambe claimed the first hat-trick of IPL 2014 in Ahmedabad against Kolkata Knight Riders. The 42-year-old removed Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan and Ryan ten Doeschate to complete his hat-trick.
Virender Sehwag's ton: Virender Sehwag reminded the fans of his glorious past with a strokeful century, which propelled Kings XI Punjab to an imposing 226 for 6 against Chennai Super Kings in the second qualifier of the IPL at the Wankhede Stadium. Sehwag flattened the CSK attack with a 58-ball 122.
Yusuf Pathan blitz: A phenomenal knock from Yusuf Pathan, who blasted his way to a 22-ball 72, catapulted Kolkata Knight Riders to the second-place in the point table as the Gautam Gambhir-led side hammered Sunrisers Hyderabad by four wickets. Pathan enthralled the packed Eden Gardens crowd with his exceptional knock which featured seven sixes and five fours.
Faulkner-Smith do the impossible: Australia's Steven Smith and James Faulkner pounded 65 runs in just 17 balls to carry Rajasthan Royals to a five-wicket win against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Smith (48 not out off 21 balls) and Faulkner (41 not out off 17) came together in the 14th over with Rajasthan on 106 for 5, and played brilliant cricket to help their team overhaul RCB's total of 190 for 5 with seven balls to spare.
Kolkata Knight Riders' comeback: After an awaful start to the tournament, Kolkata Knight Riders went on to win eight consecutive matches to book their IPL final berth. They lost four matches on the trot and failed to get the right combination but after the league moved to India, Kolkata were a different team.
Lendl Simmons scores first century of IPL-7: Lendl Simmons stole the thunder with a scintillating 61-ball 100, single-handedly powering Mumbai Indians to a seven-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab. Lendl's hundred was the first IPL-7 century.
Chris Lynn's blinder: Kolkata Knight Riders rode on a brilliant all-round showing from Australia's Chris Lynn. After propping the Kolkata innings with a 31-ball 45, Lynn, playing his first match o the IPL-7 season, pulled off a brilliant catch to dismiss RCB's AB de Villiers in the last over of the match. KKR won the match by two runs.
Maxwell impact: The 'murderous' Australian allrounder Glenn Maxwell took the IPL 2014 season to another level with his hard-hitting batting. His 95, 89 and 95 in the first three matches, put Kings XI Punjab on top of the points tally and made them favourites to lift the title.
Pollard's stunner: Kieron Pollard took one of cricket's greatest ever catches when he held on to dismiss Kevon Cooper during Mumbai Indians' IPL clash against the Rajasthan Royals.
Wriddhiman Saha's stellar show: Wriddhiman Saha smashed century off 49 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL-7 final and became the first player to score a century in an IPL final. Though, Punjab failed to lift their maiden IPL trophy but Saha won everyone's heart with his solid batting effort.
Anderson's brilliance: Chasing 190 to win off just 14.3 overs to qualify for the playoffs, Corey Anderson smashed 95 off just 44 and Ambati Rayudu played a cameo of 30 off 10 as the duo helped Mumbai Indians register a sensational five-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in just 14.4 overs. Mumbai needed to chase down Rajasthan's 190 in 14.3 overs and it was Anderson who helped his team with his spectacular show.
Champion Uthappa: The way Kings XI Punjab's Glenn Maxwell was playing in this tournament, it seemed highly unlikely that his Orange Cap will be under threat. But KKR's Robin Uthappa had different plans in mind. Uthappa, with his magnificent batting performances, overtook Maxwell as the leading run-scorer in IPL-7.
Smith-Watson deliver in crisis: Shekh Zayed Stadium crowd will always remember this dramatic match. Ajinkya Rahane's 72 off 52 balls helped Rajasthan post 152. KKR scored 152 and the match went into the Super Over. KKR scored 11 runs off Faulkner's over. Gambhir decided to give the ball to Narine but KKR couldn't defend those 11 runs too. The Super Over again ended in a tie but Rajasthan emerged winners on boundary count.
Manish Pandey's grit: Riding on Manish Pandey's brilliant 50-ball 94, Kolkata Knight Riders clinched their second IPL final in three years with a three-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab. Pandey, who was the first Indian to score a century in IPL, took Punjab's bowling attack to the cleaners with his clean hitting. His innings was studded with six sixes and seven fours.
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