HYDERABAD (India), May 2: Shaun Marsh played a sublime knock in his first appearance in the Indian Premier League (IPL), helping Kings XI Punjab thrash Deccan Chargers by seven wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Thursday.

Marsh, son of former Australian opener Geoff Marsh, showed all the elegance of a left-hander in his unbeaten 84 during which his crisp shots pierced the field on both sides time and again.

The 24-year-old, who was part of the under-19 squad that won the World Cup in 2002, started off with a couple of superb shots along the ground on the off side and opened up as the innings progressed, striking one six and 11 fours off 62 balls.

Marsh, who plays for Western Australia, was not bothered by the fall of a few early wickets at the other end and with Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene (45 off 23) too finding his groove, the target looked easy and the visitors won with seven balls to spare.

Earlier, a blistering 76 not out by Rohit Sharma helped Deccan Chargers post a respectable total after the big guns failed to fire against a disciplined bowling attack.

Sharma’s quickfire 42-ball knock, in which he struck two sixes and 10 fours, resurrected the home side after captain Vangipurappu Laxman had produced a brisk 48 up the order with the help of his trademark drives, making up for the failures of Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs and Shahid Afridi.

Sharma, one of the stars of India’s triumph in the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa last year, fought a lonely battle in the company of lower-order batsmen but just the kind needed in this form of the game.

Sharma, who plays for Mumbai in domestic cricket, used his feet beautifully, his straight drives, inside-out lofted shots and a variety of innovative shots on the leg side leaving Kings XI Punjab stunned. He reached his fifty off 34 balls with a four to mid-wicket off V.R.V. Singh and only batted with more gusto from there on.

If Sharma was on his own, it was not much different for Laxman earlier in the day as wickets fell regularly at the other end.

Gilchrist was bowled early on by Irfan Pathan before leg-spinner Piyush Chawla produced a twin-strike that pegged Deccan Chargers back at a crucial juncture as Laxman seemed to be in full flow at that stage.

Bowling consistently short to Gibbs, Chawla had the satisfaction of seeing the South African pull a low delivery straight down Pathan’s throat at the mid-wicket fence. Laxman too was dismissed by Chawla after a 34-ball knock that came with the help of eight fours.

Afridi fell to Gagandeep Singh just after a heave over the mid-wicket fence and the home side fell to 98-6 in the 15th over with Venugopal Rao and Sanjay Bangar failing to change the tempo. It was hereon that Sharma took control.

From this match onwards, both sides will not have some of their key foreign imports. Kings XI Punjab will be without their pace spearhead Brett Lee and last match hero Simon Katich, while Deccan Chargers have lost their star batsman Andrew Symonds.

Kings XI Punjab brought in Marsh and seamer Gagandeep Singh in place of Katich and Lee. Deccan Chargers also made two changes in their side as Gibbs and Rao replaced Symonds and Arjun Yadav.

Summarised scores:

DECCAN CHARGERS 164-8 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 76, Vangipurappu Laxman 48; Piyush Chawla 3-28, Irfan Pathan 2-30); KINGS XI PUNJAB 167-3 in 18.5 overs (Shaun Marsh 84 not out, Mahela Jayawardene 45 not out).—Agencies