There are seven matches scheduled for the third week of Pepsi IPL 2014. Except the Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils, who will play one match apiece, the remaining six teams will have two outings in the next seven days. Glenn Maxwell is firmly perched atop the Orange Cap standings for a while now, but the Purple Cap has been changing hands every now and then. The likes of David Miller, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Sunil Narine and Lasith Malinga have already made their presence felt this season. Will they be able to carry their form into the coming week? Will the out-of-form players hit a bit of a purple patch in the coming days? 

Here’s a look at some players to keep an eye on in Week 3:

Glenn Maxwell

After three blitzkriegs and solo efforts, the law of averages eventually caught up with the Australian when he was dismissed for 15 in KXIP’s match against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The 25-year-old is riding high on confidence and will back himself to cause more damage. The Australian loves to pepper the leg-side, and chances are if he connects the ball, it will be deposited in orbit. But that’s not to say the man cannot tap the unmanned regions on the off-side; how long with he be able to make merry with the switch-hits and the reverse-sweeps? Will captains and bowlers work a way out to stop him from muscling his way to glory?

David Miller

David Miller will go up against the team against whom he made headlines for the first time in the IPL. It was after the game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore last season that David Miller was proclaimed “Killer Miller”. The 23-year-old had played useful knocks until then and had provided glimpses of what he was capable of. But on May 6, 2013, in Mohali, he smashed the RCB bowlers to smithereens scoring a 38-ball century and powering KXIP to a convincing and famous win. The situation is somewhat similar this time around. He has been playing cameos so far. Will he be able to inflict the damage he did on RCB last season yet again?

Gautam Gambhir

Cricket is so much a confidence game. Just ask Gautam Gambhir about it. The southpaw – who is the only Indian to score centuries in five consecutive Test matches – cannot seem to buy a run these days. After being dismissed for blobs in his first three innings, the KKR skipper dropped down to bat at No.3 in the previous match, against Kings XI Punjab. He survived anxious moments when a leading edge flew just out of reach of Sandeep Sharma. Couple of balls later, he tucked a full delivery on the pads to get off the dreaded duck! The next time he was on strike, he made room and tried to force a ball through extra cover, but only miscued it as far as the fielder at mid-off. That was the end of that!
Gambhir is a very talented cricketer, a genuinely nice guy and one who works very hard at his game. Form and luck cannot surely desert a nice bloke and a hard worker like him for too long. He should believe that the one knock that will set the ball rolling is just round the corner. KKR fans, stay with your captain!

Harbhajan Singh

Do statistics hide more than they reveal? You’d have to say yes where Harbhajan Singh’s bowling is concerned. The off-spinner has bowled 15 overs so far this season, has conceded runs at an economy rate of 5.93, but has only two wickets against his name. What those numbers don’t tell you is how beautifully he has bowled. The stats don’t tell you how he hasn’t been afraid to toss the ball up, how he has discovered the guile that bamboozled many a batsmen in the past, how he has shown plenty of control and how he has sparingly used the doosra. Seeing Harbhajan Singh throwing up the ball and outfoxing batsmen was a throwback to the olden times when spinners tossed the ball in the air and kept the batsmen waiting, working tricks in their minds, only for the ball to suddenly drop and do things before the batsman realised what was happening and had time to react. If Harbhajan Singh can carry this form forward, it will make for some terrific stuff, especially given that Indian surfaces will have more purchase for him.

Zaheer Khan

Indian cricket followers will be pleased with the resurgence of Zaheer Khan. The Mumbai Indians medium-pacer looks a lot leaner and fitter these days. Like in the case of his teammate Harbhajan Singh, even his statistics do not reveal how well he has bowled in Pepsi IPL 2014. 14.5 overs, 92 runs and three wickets do not paint the entire picture. The 35-year-old has carried forward his good form from the domestic T20 competition into Pepsi IPL 2014. He has also run in well, hit the right areas often and has been unplayable on certain occasions. To illustrate, off the 89 balls he has bowled this season, he has found the edge or beaten the bat 20 times and has built and sustained pressure by bowling plenty of dot deliveries (44 percent). With India having several important overseas tours lined up, a fit and in-form Zaheer Khan is good news for Indian cricket.