IPL 6 review: Kings XI Punjab without the punch

Kings XI Punjab ended their Indian Premier League 2013 campaign, on May 18, with a 50-run win over Mumbai Indians in Dharmasala. "We are disappointed that we are not in the semifinal (playoffs). To go eight (wins) and eight (losses) is probably indicative of how we played," said Adam Gilchrist, summing up what he has declared as his career's final IPL season. "All good stuff we provided was matched up by some disappointing stuff, so we came up even ledger and that was not good enough to make the semifinal, as we have realised in the last three years."

In all the eight wins they registered, to finish at sixth in the points table, Punjab punched above their weight, displaying the brand of fighting spirit that has become synonymous with the franchise. But the failure to seize key moments due to lack of depth in the side led to defeats that left them stranded in the mid table yet again.

Batting woes

The five century partnerships, four of which led to wins, and six half-century stands apart, the batting unit rarely made any contribution. In the five losses they suffered while batting first, Punjab failed to get past the 150-run mark, making it difficult for the bowlers to defend smallish totals.

Gilchrist, who was returning to competitive cricket after the completion of last year's IPL, and Azhar Mahmood found form with the bat only towards the end of the season, and Shaun Marsh's injury till the beginning of May exposed their fragility. Mandeep Singh and Manan Vohra were inconsistent, David Hussey was out of touch and Luke Pomersbach failed to rotate the strike.

Two chases that went wrong

On a greenish pitch in Mohali, they fell short of Sunrisers Hyderabad's 150 by 30 runs. But it was in pursuit of targets set by Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings when Punjab lost the plot. Chasing 175 in Mumbai, none of the batsmen barring David Miller spent enough time on the crease as they eventually lost by five runs. In Chennai, Miller and Marsh put on 95 off 52 balls but the call to hold back Miller till the 11th over proved decisive as they fell short by 15 runs.

Finds of the season

Miller announced himself with an unbeaten 80 against Pune Warriors India that saw Punjab win with just a ball to spare. He hit two more fifties and an incredible 38-ball 101 not out against Royal Challengers Bangalore as he and R Sathish put on 130 runs in 49 balls to script a come-from-behind win. From having spent a considerable amount of time in the Punjab dugout since 2011, Miller was the team's key batsman this season.

Vohra, who was involved in the fastest ever chase of a 100-plus total in Under-19 cricket with Unmukt Chand, when India beat Australia by ten wickets with 38 overs to spare in a one-day match in Visakhapatnam in September 2011, made a mark in Punjab's first game with a sparkling 43 not out against Pune.  Sandeep Sharma, India's highest wicket-taker in their successful U-19 World Cup campaign in Australia in 2012, made a memorable IPL debut with a three-wicket haul against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Praveen and Chawla - the mixed bag

With no high-impact India player in their lineup, a lot was expected out of Praveen Kumar and Piyush Chawla. Praveen was prolific, using his trademark swing to outfox the batsmen, and finished with 12 wickets at an economy of 6.62. Chawla, the highest capped Punjab player, on the other hand, was far from consistent. Although he picked up 11 wickets, he was the most expensive bowler of the side.

Sparkling fielding

Right from the time Gurkeerat Singh took a flying catch at fine-leg to send back Ross Taylor in their first game against Pune, Punjab set the tone for the tournament's spectacular fielding standards.

Turning the clock back

In their match-winning 118-run stand against Bangalore, Gilchrist and Mahmood were all class. Against Mumbai, in Dharamsala, Mahmood's all-round performance of 80 and two wickets earned him the Man of the Match. He finished the season with 196 runs and 15 wickets in 11 games.

Perfect swan song

In his last IPL game, Gilchrist picked up his first wicket in senior-level competitive cricket, when Harbhajan Singh lofted him straight into the hands of Gurkeerat at long-on. He followed it up with a Gangnam style celebration to end Punjab's 2013 campaign on a happy note.