Top 5 players to look forward to in Indian leg of IPL

The UAE leg of IPL is over, and now the circus returns home to India to select venues where the election frenzy is over.What happened in UAE, now remains in UAE as India will provide new opportunities and challenges for everyone. It's a fresh chance for those who have failed so far to pick themselves up, and also a challenge for the on-song players to tighten their belts.Here are 5 players to look forward to in the Indian leg of IPL 2014:

#1 Glenn Maxwell

He has been the man of the tournament so far in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Almost a year after the Mumbai Indians (MI) invested $1 million on him, Maxwell has paid rich dividends for the Punjab franchise.

Whereas he has lost a bit of momentum over the last couple of matches, coming back to India will provide him the ample opportunity to reignite that flame which made him earn the Orange Cap. The Indian crowd is waiting for more entertainment from him for sure.

#2 Mitchell Johnson

Fast and brutal, Mitchell Johnson is yet to show his true value in the tournament. Even as his performance has seen a considerable improvement over the last five matches, he is yet to make Mumbai Indians regret over not retaining him in the auction. Will the Indian leg provide him that opportunity?

He's been attacking in patches, but the intensity has been inconsistent. On his last tour to India, Mitchell Johnson proved to be expensive in Champions League T20 and the following ODI series against India, but built up the pace which ultimately resulted in the Ashes heroics. KXIP will hope Mitch finds that form again.

#3 Lasith Malinga

Arguably the best bowler in T0 cricket, Lasith Malinga hasn’t hit a purple patch yet. For someone with most wickets in the tournament’s history, he is yet to provide a match-winning effort for the defending champions. However, things will be different when he returns to the Mumbai Indians home ground.

#4 RCB batsmen

Here is a case of the most envious batting line-up that is struggling. Chris Gayle has just returned from injury and showed no signs of nerves as he plundered Glenn Maxwell for 20 runs in his very first over.

Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers are struggling and are clearly far removed from their best. However, they will be licking their wounds at the knowledge of returning to the high-scoring M Chinnaswamy Stadium. With the Bangalore crowd behind them, RCB may find that extra bit of motivation to turn things around.

Yuvraj Singh, their high-profile buy of the season has shown glimpses of his old class. But overall, he is yet to show why he is Indias best T20 batsman. He likes playing at Chinnaswamy with its short boundaries providing him the licence to go for big hits, as even his mishits tend to travel all the distance.

#5 Defending champions

For a team which has the likes of Rohit Sharma, Michael Hussey, Kieron Pollard, Corey Anderson, Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga, no team should look a daunting challenge in T20 cricket.

But the story of the defending champions hasn’t been glorious so far in the tournament. They will be hungrier than ever to reclaim their lost pride, and a home support is what they desperately need right now. Having lost 5 matches on the trot, Mumbai Indians will surely be looking forward to a fresh start more than any other team.

The great news for them is that Pollard has found form just before the start of the run at home.