Shaun rises, Bangalore fall

Shaun Marsh notched up his second successive half-century to lead Kings XI Punjab to a 9 wkt win over Royal Challengers.

Bangalore Royal Challengers are no longer royalty. Failing to take off all through the tournament, the side has looked rugged and the fact that they now lie at the bottom would only surprise those who thought Twenty20 cricket was played in white flannels.

One wonders what is in store for skipper Rahul Dravid. The least he would have hoped for from his team after team owner Vijay Mallya went ballistic against one of India8217;s most successful batsman would have been a charged-up show against Kings XI Punjab today. But going by how Monday was no different from their six previous defeats in the IPL, Dravid would clearly want the tournament, and his agony to end as soon as possible. A score of 143 for eight in 20 overs on a good batting surface was never going to be enough, and all Dravid could do was watch as the hosts achieved the target in a ruthless manner.

The contrast cannot be more pronounced. If Mohali are a bunch of T20 experts, Bangalore have played like greenhorns in this format; if Punjab are methodical in their play, Bangalore never seemed to have had a plan. Their batting order is unsettled, their bowling is clearly over-burdened with expectations and their skipper hasn8217;t been able to get the best of whatever resources he and the team management bargained for in the players auction. So much so, that Dravid has been forced to bench one of his most expensive buys, Jacques Kallis, due to mediocre performance.

On the other hand, Australian Shaun Marsh has done wonders for his side. And he continued with his good form, batting in top gear. He would hit a four, and when Dravid tried to plug the gap in the field, Marsh would pierce through another. He brought up yet another match-winning knock of 74 not out for himself, and with support from fellow Aussie Luke Pomersbach, ensured the Punjab win with one eye on the scoreboard and another on the net run rate. Marsh was named Man of the Match and is now the leading scorer for Kings XI Punjab, with 295 runs scored in the championship so far.

Earlier, the Punjab seamers were on song when Bangalore batted. S Sreesanth picked up three wickets while Irfan Pathan and VRV Singh suffocated the rival batting. Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla hacked through the middle order and one was left wondering what would be next for Mallya and Dravid.