Marsh crowns Kings triumph

Shaun Marsh © Getty Images

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Shaun Marsh hit 74 not out to guide Kings XI Punjab to a comfortable nine-wicket victory over the Bangalore Royal Challengers.

The Australian had the highest batting average in the IPL before the clash and he cemented his position as the competition’s best batsman with another swashbuckling performance in Mohali.

He smashed nine fours and two sixes to help the Kings overhaul a target of just 144, clinching the win with a single to cover off Praveen Kumar with more than four overs to spare.

He was assisted by countrymen James Hopes and Luke Pomersbach, whose 34 off 24 balls helped easily chase down a meagre target.

The Kings made a slow start but Hopes soon founds his stride, matching the power of three sixes with the finesse of a number of clever singles.

He made 27 before heaving Vinay Kumar to Dale Steyn at deep extra cover.

Marsh was dropped by substitute fielder Bharat Chipli at mid-on in the fifth over as the Challengers’ fielding let them down, and they were made to pay as he went on to compile another superb innings.

In the 10th over he powered Steyn for three fours and a six, and dished out similar treatment to Zaheer Khan, hitting the India paceman for three successive fours to bring his side to within three runs of their target.

A single from Pomersbach and two more from Marsh in the next over condemned Bangalore to yet another defeat.

Earlier, the Challengers won the toss and elected to bat, but struggled from the start and had amassed just five runs from two overs when the in-form Sreesanth made the breakthrough in the third.

Jagadeesh Arunkumar edged a cut to Mahela Jayawardene in the slips, although Misbah-ul-Haq (21) and Virat Kohli (21) accelerated the run-rate with two consecutive fours each.

The former then hit Sreesanth for six over long-off and for four with an exquisite square drive in the same over.

Misbah’s form was not to last, though, as he stood on his stumps playing off the back foot two balls later.

Kohli hit successive boundaries off Piyush Chawla in the sixth over, only to succumb to a slower delivery that hit off stump.

Rahul Dravid helped guide the Challengers to 74 for three at the halfway stage, but Cameron White was caught and bowled for 10 attempting to swing Chawla over midwicket.

Bangalore, who have won only twice in the competition, were dealt a blow when Dravid was bowled by Irfan Pathan, but Mark Boucher struck a huge six off Hopes.

Two fours off the same over followed for Boucher but his partners continued to tumble, with Praveen Kumar and Vinay Kumar bowled by Sreesanth and Vikram Singh respectively.

Boucher eventually off the penultimate ball of the innings, was run out chasing a second run after pushing Pathan to long-on.