Stunning Seven: How Punjab Kings batters transformed fortunes of the franchise

Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting scripted what plenty of captain-coach duos had failed to do for Punjab Kings since the glory days of George Bailey and Sanjay Bangar in 2014, helping their side towards not only a playoff qualification for the first time in 11 years, but also sealing the top spot in the points table to play the qualifier one, which will give their team a double shot at the title clash.

- AGENCIES

PBKS' unit has felt really different this year. The aura and legend of coach Ponting, proven top-class leadership of Shreyas Iyer and fearless batting by its Indian core and timely contributions by overseas talent have come together nicely to present the team as a team meant to be feared. Once considered by many a team that could give "two free points" to several fan favourite teams, a fixture against PBKS this year has been a box-office affair, which demands other teams work extremely hard and be at their absolute merciless with both bat and ball.

The result is, that fans have been treated to some great cricket, and Indian cricket has unearthed some stars that could serve them well in future. PBKS has been absolutely stunning as a batting unit this season, featuring seven batters who have scored at least 100 runs at an average of 30 or more and a strike rate of above 149.

Be it the fiery opening stands of breakout stars Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, the consistent and reassuring anchoring of skipper Shreyas Iyer or timely blasts from the Australian stars, there is a lot to love about this team.

PBKS's 'Stunning Seven':