IPL social: Ben Stokes arrives, AB De Villiers belts out Backstreet Boys & Virat Kohli breaks into bhangra
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Stokes lands in the UAE
Super overs, sensational batting and sublime bowling; just a few weeks in and the IPL has already delivered.
But there is one thing that has been missing; Mr Benjamin Andrew Stokes.
But not for long - England's World Cup-winning superstar has touched down in the United Arab Emirates and is adhering to the mandatory six-day quarantine period in his hotel room.
Stokes has missed the start of the tournament due to compassionate leave, having been with his ill father in New Zealand.
We weren't sure if he would feature at all in the IPL this year, but on Saturday the Royals gave us a not so subtle hint Stokes was on his way…
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Before confirming the all-rounder was en route…
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Stokes will be hoping to hit the ground running as he joins international teammates Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer and Tom Curran in the Royals side.
It hasn't been the best of starts for the franchise. Having won their first two games, they are now on a run of three straight defeats.
There were several dejected looks after their loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore over the weekend…
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Players gazing into the distance and a black and white filter, it was reminiscent of a 1990s Take That music video.
AB sings Backstreet Boys, Kohli breaks into bhangra
Speaking of boybands, do you want to see RCB's AB de Villiers singing Backstreet Boys? Of course you do. Two minutes and 55 seconds in for that, and then keep watching for captain Virat Kohli's bhangra moves..
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One of the great things about the IPL is that you get to see some of the world's best players, from different countries, forging friendships.
And the De Villiers and Kohli bromance is something special…
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Steve Smith or Sam Smith?
Steve Smith is one of the finest batsmen in the world. But how does the Rajasthan Royals captain relax off the field? He sings and plays the guitar, that's how....
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What do you reckon? A shoo-in for the X-Factor judges' houses? Or would he receive a Simon Cowell verbal beat down?
Smith put himself out there for the world to see. How did his Australia team-mate David Warner react? Well, he just laughed...
'The Love Cafe' reopens
Australia internationals Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis are also the best of friends.
For anyone who watched Amazon's fly-on-the-wall documentary The Test, Zampa and Stoinis often bonded over their love for coffee.
The two would regularly sip an espresso in Zampa's hotel room, which was dubbed 'The Love Cafe'.
RCB's Zampa and Delhi Capitals' Stoinis were set to be reunited as their teams went head-to-head in Dubai on Monday...
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But leg-spinner Zampa wasn't included in the playing XI.
'The Love Cafe' is still open for business, though, as Stoinis has already found a new coffee-drinking pal…
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Kudos to whoever came up with the 'brewmance' hashtag.
Carnage Cummins the superhero
With two wins and two defeats, this season's IPL has been a mixed bag for the Kolkata Knight Riders, one of the favourites leading up to the tournament.
In both their victories, Australia seamer Pat Cummins has gone for less than five runs per over.
Some would say he's indispensable to the team. KKR would say he's a superhero…
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Downtime with Ishan Kishan
Step aside Graham Norton and Jonathan Ross, there's a new kid on the block.
Mumbai Indians batsman Ishan Kishan has his own chat show (sort of!) and his very first guest was team-mate Krunal Pandya…
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They may be star IPL performers, but their charades game needs work.
Is there a Gayle approaching?
He's one of the most eccentric cricketers on the planet, and one of the most explosive the IPL has ever had, but 41-year-old opener Chris Gayle is yet to be picked in the Kings XI Punjab starting XI.
With more than a month left in the tournament, there is still plenty of time for the Jamaican to make an impact.
And just to show us (and his coaching team!) what we're missing, here is the 'Universe Boss' pummelling one out of the nets...
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