Shaun Marsh is the only player who has been with the Kings XI Punjab franchise since their inception in 2008.

Barring the inaugural year of the Indian Premier League when they qualified for the semi-finals, Punjab have mostly finished in the mid-table.

But this season has been a revelation as they have topped the standings and Marsh, 29, is relishing the new high.

He said: “It’s good to have fresh energy around and be surrounded by positivity.

“It’s nice to have a captain like George Bailey who is a very positive guy and is leading the team beautifully. What has clicked nicely this time is the perfect mixture of senior and younger players we have.”

He added: “We’ve got some exciting young Indian players who are coming through really well and performing under pressure. The senior guys are leading the way for them and supporting them in every way. It is also good to have a coach like Sanjay Bangar; he has done a great job with all the players and so has Joe Dawes.

“The coaching staff and the players have gelled really well together.”

Punjab will aiming to cap their splendid run with another victory in their last league match against Delhi Daredevils today.