This article is part one of a series from Laurie Ward of The Complete Cricketer Academy.

This series of articles isn't about what you think.

Reading a title like this you will think of mental toughness, tactical awareness and the psychological side of the game.

But today we are going to talk about your head has a key role in the techniques of cricket.

It's inevitable that the day will come.

Your regular keeper is out injured/hung over/unavailable. Despite the captain desperately searching for a replacement, none can be found.

Straws are drawn and someone gets the short one.

A pair of gloves are located and shoved on the mitts of the unsuspecting batsman (it's always a batsman).

This is the first in a regular series of articles looking at the techniques and tactics used in IPL 3.

The 2010 IPL got off to a rip-roaring start with all the franchises playing over the opening weekend. We watched every game and picked out a few choice cuts that you can take into your games this season.

So here are the first tips, separated by team:

Gary Palmer, PitchVision Academy Batting Coach, has 20 years of coaching experience and has come up with a fool-proof way of achieving perfection in batting. If you would like group or one-to-one coaching with Gary visit CCM Academy.

With Kevin away, David is joined by Gary Palmer and we get the final part of our interview with ECB and Lane4 psychologist Wil James.

If you missed the other parts of the interview with Wil you can get them here:

Imagine for a moment you have signed for the Deccan Chargers. It's your first game and the stadium is packed to the rafters.

On TV millions more watch on hoping you will put in a match winning performance for their beloved team. Meanwhile the world's finest Twenty20 players warm up in preparation to take you on.

Succeed and you will be adored. Fail and you will be nobody.

This article is part of "The complete guide to cricket field settings" series.

This guest article by first-class and international 'keeper Nic Northcote is an extract from his new book "Wicket-Keeping: The Ultimate Guide to Mastering the Art": Available now on PitchVision Academy.

Power plays are a terrible invention.

They make IPL games more fun to watch when Tendulkar and Jayasuriya are flailing it to all parts.

But the whole idea seems so contrived and, well... restricted (at least to a declaration loving traditionalist like me).

Nevertheless, as my own (50 over) league has brought in a fielding circle this season and it's a staple of Twenty20 cricket at every level, it's time to look how the pros do it.

It's official; Kevin's team missed out on the finals this season so we catch up with how he felt the season went. Find out why it's not all bad news.

Plus, Gary Palmer returns to give us more insight into the technical side of batting. ECB psychologist Wil James also joins us for the third part of his in-depth interview on the mental side of the game.