IPL 5 - Kings XI Punjab - Season Review
Unlike some of the other teams of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Kings XI http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Adam-Gilchrist-c918,
who is one of the legends of the modern-day sport.
With 16 points in as many matches, Punjab finished at number six on the points table and most of the pundits are happy with their performance.
Apart from the first edition of the tournament in 2008, Kings XI has hardly made an impression but the situation was different this time around as the franchise troubled a number of big teams and spoiled their party.
Punjab was off to a pathetic start this year but gained momentum as the event progressed. The Kings XI faced a massive setback very early in the season as Gilchrist injured his hamstring and could not take part for most part of the league.
Out of favour Pakistani all-rounder, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Azhar-Mahmood-c1116, who was taking part in the tournament on the basis of his British nationality, made a significant impact on the tournament and changed the fortunes of his team.
Neither did the Rawalpindi-born cricketer took too many wickets, nor did he play any huge knock for his franchise, but his valuable contributions with both bat and ball turned out to be gold for the Kings XI.
The legendary wicketkeeper/batsman was all praise for Mahmood’s influence on the team as the former Pakistani cricketer was never short of an advice for the younger players both on and off the field.
Gilchrist said, “Azhar (Mahmood) has been impressive with his whole approach and the attitude. He is level-headed and wants to share it with others on the field as well as off it. He certainly has made a nice, little impact for us.”
Another positive for Punjab was the performance of young right-handed opener, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mandeep-Singh-c74122, who was awarded as the Rising Star of the season. The 20-year-old cricketer from Jalandhar scored 432 runs this year and impressed the experts with his ability to
lash on to the loose deliveries.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Western-Australia-c865 praised the technique and temperament of Mandeep.
"I thought our batters set the tone, Mandeep is going from strength to strength, I think he's a future players in all three forms for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750," Hussey expressed.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SE-Marsh-c2470, who was the highest run-scorer in the inaugural edition of the cash-rich league, could not find the middle of his bat regularly in the current season.
Right-arm fast bowler, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Parvinder-Awana-c80792 can be rated as the find of the tournament for the Kings XI as the rookie proved to be the best bowler of the franchise. The seamer picked up 17 scalps in the season and troubled some of the best players with his pace
and bounce.
There are a lot of positives for Punjab to take forward but they need to improve big time, in order to pose a bigger threat for the other teams in the sixth edition of the league. However, they will have to find a new captain as Gilchrist has hinted that
he may not play any more professional cricket.
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