It was just the kind of all-round performance that Kings XI Punjab needed to be taken seriously in this edition of Indian Premier League.
Asked to bat, the Kings put the reputed Rajasthan Royals attack to the sword by hoisting 195 for seven, the highest this season. When Royals chased, the host wasted no time in landing four quick blows to turn the match into a no-contest.
Eventually, the 48-run victory catapulted the Kings to the top-four teams in the race to the semifinals. The host crafted its third successive victory in four outings in the most authoritative manner.
If the top-order batsmen swept away the opposition with a relentless display of strokeplay, the new ball bowlers, Praveen Kumar in particular, took the pace off the ball to strike early.
Cheap dismissals
The cheap dismissals of Shane Watson and Ross Taylor, in successive overs, took the wind of Royals' sails. Later, Stuart Binny, Ashok Menaria and Abhishek Raut used the long handle but could not change the script.
For the Kings, Man-of-the-Match Shaun Marsh reproduced the same form that made him the top run-scorer (with 616 runs) in the inaugural edition of the competition. The stylish left-hander smashed 71 runs to build on the rollicking start given by skipper Adam Gilchrist and fellow opener Paul Valthaty.
Having chased down targets for two back-to-back victories, it was an opportunity for Kings to come out of its comfort zone and put up a total beyond the reach of the opposition. And it did.
Timely onslaught
Marsh's timely onslaught that included a rare three sixes in an over from Shane Warne, as the first 15 overs produced 169 for two.
Ironically, the last five overs saw an addition of only 26 runs for the loss of five wickets. But eventually, the unexpected slowdown did not hurt the host.
Fortune played a huge part early in the 67-run opening stand, in just 4.2 overs, between Gilchrist and Valthaty before the pair's fortitude stood out.
Bowled off a no-ball in the first over, Gilchrist looked in his element straightway as the over from Siddharth Trivedi produced 13 runs.
In the second over, Valthaty was ‘caught' at second slip before the replays showed that Tait's back foot had ‘cut' the side-line at the point of delivery. This over added 14 runs to the tally.
If Trivedi thought the worst was behind him, Valthaty had not finished with him. The opener put Trivedi out of the firing line by hitting two sixes and three boundaries in an over that saw 25 runs. In the process, the fastest 50 in IPL history was posted, in just 2.5 overs!
Warne caned
Warne, who replaced Trivedi, did not do much to feel happy about. Gilchrist went after him, hit a six and four in succession, as the over fetched 15 runs.
With 67 runs in just four overs, the foundation was firmly laid for a big total. But it was also time for the Royals to enjoy its first success after Gilchrist failed to clear mid-on.
Undeterred, Valthaty continued with the form that saw him walkaway with two back-to-back Man-of-the-Match Awards. He maintained his aggressive intent even as he was aided by dropped catches off successive deliveries. Off Stuart Binny, Watson completely misjudged a skier before a diving Suhas Asnodkar spilled what could have been a spectacular catch.
Valthaty then targeted Warne and hit his third six but perished in the same over in his attempt to reach half-century with another six.
Thereafter, Marsh took over the charge. Dinesh Karthik, who smashed three boundaries in an over from Trivedi, was the only other batsman to get to the double figures before the rest fell in a heap.
