Shaun Marsh joins Mohali

Shaun Marsh, the Western Australia top-order batsman, has signed with Mohali in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The confirmation completed a remarkable nine days for Marsh, who has also earned his first Cricket Australia contract and a place on their ODI tour of West Indies.

Marsh joins his fellow Western Australia batsman Luke Pomersbach at Mohali. The pair was suspended by the Warriors following a drinking session in November but they will be watched over at Mohali by Tom Moody and Trevor Penney, the Western Australia coach and assistant coach who have also taken the reins of the Indian franchise.

"The franchise was in a position to secure another overseas player and Shaun was head and shoulders above all of the players that had not already committed to the IPL," Moody said. "Shaun has made enormous progress this season, and having an opportunity to play in the IPL will help to continue his development into a world-class batsman."

Marsh, the son of the former Australia Test opener Geoff Marsh, was the leading run scorer in Australia's domestic Twenty20 competition in 2007-08. He made 290 runs at 58 with a strike-rate of 142.15 and he also had excellent Pura Cup and FR Cup campaigns that helped him win the award as Western Australia's Player of the Year.

Although he is yet to make his international debut, Marsh, 24, is viewed as a potential key batsman for Australia in the coming years. "I'm very excited to have the chance to play in a tournament of such high profile," Marsh said.

"Like so many others that are taking part, I'm just looking forward to the experience that I wll gain from lining up with so many greats of world cricket. I'm also lucky to be alongside so many familiar faces, with Luke Pomersbach and Simon Katich as team-mates, and Tom and Trevor in the coaching roles, which will be a tremendous boost for my game."

The New South Wales batsman Dominic Thornely has also been a late addition to the IPL after he unexpectedly received an offer from Mumbai. Thornely will join the Western Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Luke Ronchi in the Mumbai side, which also boasts Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Harbhajan Singh and Shaun Pollock.