MOHALI, May 29: Kings XI Punjab, riding on a sensational 115 from Shaun Marsh, scored just way too many runs for Rajasthan Royals to score as the Punjab team signed off the Indian Premier League phase with a convincing victory here on Wednesday night.

Chasing Mohali’s 221-3, which came after stand-in skipper Shane Watson opted to field first, Jaipur never got close to the asking rate, despite some lusty hitting from Niraj Patel, Yusuf Pathan and Kamran Akmal, and fell short by 41 runs.

Going in to bat with the asking rate being above 11 from the first ball, it was never going to be easy for Jaipur, and Mohammad Kaif was not quite the player for the situation.

Patel hammered four boundaries off Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, and kept Jaipur interested for some time. Pathan, Kamran and Mahesh Rawat tried their best to get Jaipur going, but the asking rate was too much.

Piyush Chawla capitalized on the Jaipur batsmen’s search for runs and ended up with three wickets for 35 runs off four overs. James Hopes claimed two wickets to add to a half-century while batting.

The Western Australian destroyed the Jaipur bowling to score a rocking 115, as Kings XI Punjab piled up a phenomenal 221-3.

Hopes (51) and Yuvraj Singh (49) also came to the party on the hard and true PCA Stadium pitch as the home side, making full use of Watson’s invitation to bat first. It was an incredible display of power hitting by Marsh, who combined superb technique with awesome power, and none of the Jaipur bowlers had anything to offer in terms of opposition.

The visitors were first blasted around by Marsh and Hopes as they scored 133 runs together, the best opening stand for Mohali in the tournament.

But after Hopes departed, it was from the frying pan into the fire as in came skipper Yuvraj Singh, desperately seeking some form and runs.

He got runs blasting away to match Marsh stroke for stroke, as the 200-mark came and went in a clash, and the home side looked all set to take another win, and psychological edge away to Mumbai.

Shane Warne decided to put his feet up for the match, opting to rest himself before the semi-finals.

Jaipur play Delhi Daredevils in the first semi-final on Friday, while Mohali take on Chennai Super Kings on Saturday.

Summarised scores:

KINGS XI PUNJAB 221-3 in 20 overs (Shaun Marsh 115, James Hopes 51, Yuvraj Singh 49); RAJASTHAN ROYALS 180-7 in 20 overs (Niraj Patel 57, Yusuf Pathan 39, Kamran Akmal 24, Mahesh Rawat 23, Shane Watson 22; Piyush Chawla 3-35, James Hopes 2-29).—Agencies