Kings XI Punjab come good to end Rajasthan Royals’ unbeaten streak; but is the win papering over the cracks?
The return of the prolific Australian Shaun Marsh was
pivotal in Kings XI picking up just their second win in 5 games and overcome table
toppers Rajasthan Royals at Ahmedabad.
The game looked over with 75 more runs needed with just 5.3 overs remaining. But David Miller
continued to defy the odds before Wriddhiman Saha was bowled by Chris Morris.
When Miller then departed for 54 it seemed as though the balance had swung the
Royals’ way.
However, Akshar Patel and Mitchell Johnson managed to scramble 13
runs off the final over to send the match into a super-over.
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| Johnson dismissed Watson with the 1st ball of the Royals' super over |
Marsh continued his fine form by cracking 3 boundaries off Morris
before Mitchell Johnson cleaned up Shane Watson with the first ball of the
reply.
The Australian pair of Steve Smith and James Faulkner were unable to replicate
their compatriot Marsh as Faulkner was run out off the 3rd ball to
seal a vital 2 points for the side from Punjab.
Scores:
Rajasthan: 191-6 (20)
Rahane 74(54), Watson 45(35); A Patel 2-30 (4)
Punjab: 191-6 (20)
S Marsh 65(40), Miller 54(30); Tambe 1-20 (3)
Slow start
It has been a slow start to IPL 8 for the Kings XI. After
finishing as runners up in 2014, many expected the side to carry on from where
they left off. However, it has been a poor transition from last year, despite only
a small amount of changes to the playing roster.
Indian Test opener Murali Vijay was brought in to add
stability and style at the top of the order but has not produced the goods so
far. The 31-year-old has failed to pass 50 in his 5 innings so far, despite
hitting 112 runs. He has simply failed to build on the starts that he has created
for himself and has given his wicket away with too much regularity.
The opening pair of Vijay and Sehwag have not clicked so far
and it is surely only a matter of time before Manan Vohra is brought in. Vohra
has shown on numerous occasions in the past that he is the man to lead the Kings XI at the beginning
of the innings, most notably in the 2014 Final against the Kolkata Knight Riders where he hit a brilliant 67.
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| Maxwell fell for just 1 against RR and has just 62 runs in his first 5 innings this IPL |
There is also a rather large question mark looming over
Kings’ overseas stars, in particular the Australian duo of Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell
Johnson.
Maxwell has so far failed to live up to the hype that
surrounded him in the previous edition of the IPL and in the World Cup last
month. The ‘Big Show’ has hit just 62 runs in 5 innings, a return simply not
good enough for a player of such stature. In comparison, Maxwell took the
tournament by storm last year, scoring an incredible 279 runs in his first 3
innings and 435 in his first 7, a stark contrast to his current form.
Johnson could perhaps be seen as guilty of riding on his reputation as he
is not producing the kind of moments that he should be for a player of his
immense quality. He is being consistently taken for big runs and is in turn
taking the game away from his side.
It could be argued that Johnson cost Punjab
the title last year, as he was hit for a six off the last ball of the 19th
to take the required runs down to just five, instead of keeping the target down to
double figures. Further consider the fact that he was bowling at number 8
Piyush Chawla and you can see the size of the error. Johnson needs to do more
with the ball and become dependable; his super-over heroics could be a good starting
point.
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| Shaun Marsh is the leading runscorer for KXIP after passing 2000 runs against RR |
Marsh in particular is unfortunate to have waited this long for a first start and is likely to keep his place in the next game.
If Bailey is fit, however, who misses out? Will it be one of the misfiring Maxwell or Johnson?
Or will their reputations leave them in at Marsh’s expense?
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