Gilchrist gives credit to bowlers and Marsh

Rejoicing at his team's first win in the IPL this season, Kings XI Punjab skipper Adam Gilchrist credited his bowlers for the seven-wicket victory over Pune Warriors here.

Dimitri Mascarenhas, who took five wickets, and prolific run getter Shaun Marsh, who struck unbeaten 64, were the heroes of Punjab's first win of the season.

"Dimitri was spot on and challenged the batsmen all the time. He put the ball in the right spot and was really well supported by the whole bowling unit," Gilchrist said in the post-match news conference here last night.

Dmitri Mascarenhas (L) and Adam Gilchrist (R). Photo: AFP

Punjab, chasing a modest 116 for victory, tasted their first win after two consecutive losses. English pacer Mascarenhas became the first bowler for Punjab to take five wickets in the IPL. He was supported well by Harmeet Bansal and Piyush Chawla, who also earned two and one scalp respectively.

Medium pacers Praveen Kumar and Parvinder Awana also bowled a tight line but remained wicketless. Gilchrist heaped praise on his Aussie compatriot Marsh, saying he is a prolific run getter.

"It is wonderful to see him back in action. He missed the last game because of back strain and now he is back with full fitness. He is such a beautiful player, most successful batsman in the IPL history, if you take whole lot of things into account," the skipper said.

Gilchrist said his decision to field first was guided by the damp conditions after Mohali was lashed by rain on Wednesday night.

"On Wednesday afternoon, it didn't look like the wicket was doing too much. But after the big storm and a lot of moisture around, it seemed to move. I knew the decision to bowl first was a bit risky as in our previous two games we bowled first, but didn't manage to get any momentum going. But our bowlers bowled beautifully and made full use of the conditions," he said.

Despite chasing a modest total, Gilchrist felt his side was up against a good bowling attack and had to make sure that "there was not going to be too much of a panic (in the run chase)".

After the rain at PCA grounds, moths and other insects could be seen in the ground as the match was played under floodlights, but that didn't seem to bother Gilchrist's men too much.

"I have seen (places) where it's worse. I am not sure what can be done about that, use some spray or something, but don't think it affected the game," he said.