THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MOHALI, India — Australian batsman Shaun Marsh smashed 71 off 42 deliveries as Kings XI Punjab defeated Rajasthan Royals by 48 runs in the IPL on Thursday.
The left-hander capitalized on a rollicking 67-run stand between the in-form Paul Valthaty and captain Adam Gilchrist to lift the home side to 195-7, the highest total in this edition of the IPL.
In reply, Rajasthan could only manage 147-7 after seam bowler Praveen Kumar took two early wickets.
It was the third consecutive win for Punjab, which now has six points from four games. Rajasthan has five points from five games.
Marsh dominated early, cracking three sixes in the space of four balls of one over by Shane Warne that went for 21. Film actress Elizabeth Hurley, who is reportedly dating Warne, watched the match from the stands.
Marsh also hit six fours to reach his 50 off only 29 balls.
Punjab had looked on course for a bigger score after reaching 169-2 in 15 overs but Australia pace bowler Shaun Tait slowed the scoring and took 3-22.
Earlier, Valthaty and Gilchrist got the team off to a blistering start.
Valthaty made 46 off 31 deliveries and Gilchrist 28 off 16 as Punjab recorded the fastest 50 in the four editions of the IPL, reaching 52 for no loss in only 2.5 overs.
The openers, who were both dismissed off no-balls early in their innings, clobbered the bowling at will and were helped by a fast outfield.
"I thought we were fortunate early on and capitalized on the chances," Gilchrist said. "Shaun played very well and the bowlers did their job."
The 27-year-old Valthaty smashed three sixes and four fours. He tops this edition of run-scorers with 247 after also hitting 120 against defending champion Chennai Super Kings.
Valthaty missed out on many years of cricket after injuring an eye during the 2002 under-19 World Cup.
Former champion Rajasthan got off the wrong foot as Kumar dismissed Swapnil Asnodkar and Shane Watson and Ryan Harris removed Rahul Dravid to leave the team struggling on 47-3 in the seventh over.
Ashok Maneria (34) and Stuart Binny (31) tried to stem the rot with a fifth-wicket stand of 50 but the run-rate kept rising.
On Friday, Kolkata Knight Riders hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens, while last year’s finalists Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings play at Wankhede Stadium.
——
Scores:
Kings XI Punjab 195-7 in 20 overs (Shaun Marsh 71, Paul Valthaty 46, Adam Gilchrist 28, Shaun Tait 3-22, Shane Watson 2-24), def. Rajasthan Royals 147-7 in 20 overs (Ashok Maneria 34, Stuart Binny 31, Praveen Kumar 2-22).