Glenn Maxwell was the star of the UAE leg, smashing the ball to every corner of the park to get the fans, and there were plenty of them, to their feet or thinking about buying some hard hats just to stay safe.
After an enthralling 20 matches, the Indian Premier League moves back home, with several franchises, the ones that struggled to make an impression in the desert, no doubt happy to return to more familiar confines.
IPL 2014 has got off to a rollicking start, and with another 36 matches to go before we hit the Playoffs, plenty more drama will be witnessed.
The Kings XI Punjab, riding on the Maxwell wave, were the only team to come out of the UAE without a single loss, and the franchise, still looking for their first IPL title, will be desperate to continue the good run to seal their place in the top four as soon as possible.
The Chennai Super Kings are right behind KXIP, with MS Dhoni's men already looking formidable thanks largely to some outstanding opening batting from Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum. CSK already look a definite top four team this season, which would mean there are very little openings left for the rest of the six franchises to make the Playoffs.
The defending champions Mumbai Indians have struggled, and then some, in IPL 2014, failing to win a single match so far, with their batting looking limp, clueless and lacking in firepower, notwithstanding that brilliant knock from Kieron Pollard in the final match in the UAE on Wednesday.
The likes of RCB, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, KKR and Delhi Daredevils will want to find more consistency as well, and the teams will no doubt be banking on home advantage.
The first game of the India leg starts on Friday with the Chennai Super Kings hosting the Kolkata Knight Riders in Dhoni's own backyard of Ranchi.
Below is the full schedule of games from Match 21 all the way up to the final on 1 June.
IPL 2014 Schedule: Match 21, 2 May: CSK vs KKR in Ranchi (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 22, 3 May: Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab in Mumbai (4 pm IST, 11.30 am BST, 6.30 am ET)
Match 23, 3 May: Delhi Daredevils vs Rajasthan Royals in Delhi (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 24, 4 May: RCB vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bangalore (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 25, 5 May: Rajasthan Royals vs KKR in Ahmedabad (4 pm IST, 11.30 am BST, 6.30 am ET)
Match 26, 5 May: Delhi Daredevils vs CSK in Delhi (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 27, 6 May: Mumbai Indians vs RCB in Mumbai (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 28, 7 May: Delhi Daredevils vs KKR in Delhi (4 pm IST, 11.30 am BST, 6.30 am ET)
Match 29, 7 May: Kings XI vs CSK in Cuttack (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 30, 8 May: Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Ahmedabad (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 31, 9 May: RCB vs Kings XI in Bangalore (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 32, 10 May: Delhi Daredevils vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Delhi (4 pm IST, 11.30 am BST, 6.30 am ET)
Match 33, 10 May: Mumbai Indians vs CSK in Mumbai (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 34, 11 May: Kings XI vs KKR in Cuttack (4 pm IST, 11.30 am BST, 6.30 am ET)
Match 35, 11 May: RCB vs Rajasthan Royals in Bangalore (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 36, 12 May: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 37, 13 May: CSK vs Rajasthan Royals in Ranchi (4 pm IST, 11.30 am BST, 6.30 am ET)
Match 38, 13 May: RCB vs Delhi Daredevils in Bangalore (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 39, 14 May: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kings XI in Hyderabad (4 pm IST, 11.30 pm BST, 6.30 am ET)
Match 40, 14 May: KKR vs Mumbai Indians in Kolkata (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 41, 15 May: Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Daredevils in Ahmedabad (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 42, 18 May: CSK vs RCB in Chennai (4 pm IST, 11.30 am BST, 6 am ET)
Match 43, 18 May: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs KKR in Hyderabad (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 44, 19 May: Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad (4pm IST, 11.30 am BST, 6.30 am ET)
Match 45, 19 May: Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI in Delhi (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 46, 20 May: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs RCB in Hyderabad (4 pm IST, 11.30 am BST, 6.30 am ET)
Match 47, 20 May: KKR vs CSK in Kolkata (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 48, 21 May: Kings XI vs Mumbai Indians in Mohali (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 49, 22 May: KKR vs RCB in Kolkata (4 pm IST, 11.30 am BST, 6.30 am ET)
Match 50, 22 May: CSK vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 51, 23 May: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils in Mumbai (4 pm IST, 11.30 am BST, 6.30 am ET)
Match 52, 23 May: Kings XI vs Rajasthan Royals in Mohali (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 53, 24 May: RCB vs CSK in Bangalore (4 pm IST, 11.30 am BST, 6.30 am ET)
Match 54, 24 May: KKR vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Kolkata (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Match 55, 25 May: Kings XI vs Delhi Daredevils in Mohali (4 pm IST, 11.30 am BST, 6.30 am ET)
Match 56, 25 May: Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET).
Playoffs: Qualifier 1, 27 May: 1st placed team vs 2nd placed team in Chennai (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Eliminator, 28 May: 3rd placed team vs 4th placed team in Chennai (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Qualifier 2, 30 May: Loser of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Eliminator in Mumbai (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
Final, 1 June: Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2 in Mumbai (8 pm IST, 3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET)
