New Delhi: Kings XI Punjab perhaps have the perfect mix of any franchise in the league - a celebrity owner, a poster boy as captain and a team that is well equipped to handle any challenge.
Yuvraj Singh and his boys wrapped up their league campaign by table toppers Rajasthan Royals handily in the final game of the league phase.
If the tournament was about discovering exciting new talent, then Shaun Marsh has definitely lived upto those expectations.
The fresh-faced son of former Australian opener Geoff Marsh, Shaun had already made five half-centuries. He added a hundred to that impressive tally and also took over the orange cap for the tournament's highest run getter and was man of the match.
"I am really enjoying playing here and getting the opportunities. It is a fantastic experience for me. So, doing well is great and now we have games coming up in Mumbai, and hopefully, we will continue to do well," said Shaun Marsh.
The Kings derive their strength from a top order that should now instill fear in the opposition in the knockout stage.
James Hopes has played an ideal foil to Marsh as opener. Kumar Sangakkara has made four half-centuries and their talismanic captain has returned to destructive form with a 16-ball 49. Even their high profile owner knows her batsmen hold the key.
"In the first game at the home ground we scored 207 runs and now in the last league match at home, we scored our highest 222 runs, so this is just going great," said Preity Zinta.
But with the ball too the trio of Irfan Pathan, S Sreesanth and Piyush Chawla have picked up 50 wickets between them to give the Kings the perfect mix. Can that translate into two more match-winning performances?
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