Kings XI Punjab are the team to beat this IPl. Power-hitting Glenn Maxwell has stolen the show for them with his 30 fours and 17 sixes in a total of 300 runs over five matches in which the team has remained unbeaten after the UAE leg. And, they are still to unleash Virender Sehwag. Krishnaraj Singh Jasana tries to gauge what’s right with this team
There may be a reason why Kings Eleven Punjab has had the best start ever in the Indian Premier league, five wins in as many matches after the UAE leg, we've read the reason in textbooks — Punjab is the land of five rivers. Number five is in their veins.
The turnaround, from being mere contenders in the last three years — on the last two occasions they have finished on 16 points when 18 could have given them a semi-final spot and they finished with 14 in 2011 when Kolkata made it to the last-four with 16 — to suddenly being the team to beat, has come about after some brainstorming with focus on getting that working combination going.
The answer they've found is developing the group around some in-form Australians, Virender Sehwag and a heady mix of young and experienced Indians. Though this may be the set-piece that all teams look at foreign recruit preferences may wary — it's the part where everything has clicked for now that Punjab have ticked successfully.
And, who else but the man of the moment who does not seem to have a stop button and has taken the tournament by storm, Glenn Maxwell. He's been hitting sixes at will and it looks as if when the ball is not reaching the stands, it is good enough to pierce its way into the boundaries and as a result, Preity Zinta's dimples have never been this prominent.
With the massive hitting, he amassed 300 runs over five matches at an average of 60 and a whopping strike rate of over 200. Add to this, 30 fours and 17 sixes, and as much as 74 per cent of his runs have come from boundaries and sixes. The runs include scores of 95, 89 and 95 against Chennai, Rajasthan and Hyderabad. Mind-boggling statistics show that the 25-year-old from Melbourne starts from the fifth gear and his monstrous blows along with good looks make for a complete package.
Giving company to him is another Aussie, as fiery and as much a treat to the eyes for the fairer sex in Mitchell Johnson. He has stated in the past that he found his mojo last year in the IPl while playing for Mumbai Indians.
And, Mumbai's loss is another jewel in the Kings Eleven crown as Johnson has unleashed raw pace this year too for his seven wickets in five games. His attacking bowling has meant that youngster like Sandeep Sharma has been able to pitch the ball up and let it swing for his seven wickets in just four matches.
The bowling highlight of the tournament leg in UAE may well have been the moment when Chris Gayle came dancing down the wicket to the lad only to miss the out-swing delivery which disturbed the left-hander's furniture.
An example of young and experience Indians in the side is the complimentary opening pair of Sehwag and Cheteshwar Pujara. Hit and stay being the order of play, the duo has managed some starts but just one 50+ partnership.
A subdued Sehwag it is beginning to play some shots and looks to be coming back to form anytime now but Pujara has a highest score of 40 not out to show against his name. He would be looking to do well in the remaining matches in order to be a part of the Indian side in limited over cricket.
Moving on from captaincy of Adam Gilchrist and David Hussey till last year, the think tank has gone for a man who is building a reputation for himself as a calm figure who can influence the vagaries of the team emanating from the volatility of Sehwag, Maxwell, David Miller and Johnson. If things go wrong, this captain is the go-to-guy. His job is to control things and manage his resources and till now, with five on five wins after the desert leg, he can pat his back. On an average, a team winning nine matches can make the semi-final cut and this point, if there is a team which look favourites to make that cut, it is Punjab.
A key foreign recruit in the team is Miller at five and he already has had an impact with two fifties in chases 204 against Chennai and Rajasthan's 191. Along with Maxwell, the duo may be the most dangerous middle-order pair in the IPl. Another veteran in the side is laxmipathy Balaji who gives the variety part to the team with his slower deliveries which come handy in the latter part of the innings.
Kings XI Punjab’s best performance in the IPl was in the inaugural one when they finisjed second after the group stage but got eliminated in the semis. The way things are poised right now, it would be a miracle they if they do not make the last four cut this time.