Kings from Punjab clinch a nail-biter by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Scorecard:	Deccan Chargers v Kings XI Punjab
Player:	A Symonds, B Lee, DPMD Jayawardene
Event:	Indian Premier League 2009

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DateLine: 9th May 2009

 

Aided by good knocks by Jayawardene (43) and Sohal (30), Kings XI Punjab were able to beat Deccan Chargers by three wickets in a absolute close finish. The match was moving like a see-saw from one side to another before Brett Lee and Piyush Chawla joined hands to finish the game hitting 20 runs in the last two overs. Chasing 169 for a win, Kings XI Punjab got off to a flying start. Openers Sunny Sohal (30) and Simon Katich (9) added 41 runs for the first wicket before Rohit Sharma sent both of them packing in his very first over.

 

However, wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara (25) and skipper Yuvraj Singh (18) got into the act soon and started the repair work very quickly. The duo added 39 runs in no time but again both fell in the same over within a distance of a run to leave the Punjab side in a spot of bother. In came Mahela Jayawardene and alongside Irfan Pathan added 30 runs to revive the Kings XI Punjab hope. The duo took the total a little more closer and then Irfan departed. But Jayawardene was in total mood to take the side home. He hit two sixes of Suman's over and therein brought his side back into the match after at one time the required run rate was looking to cross the 10 runs per over mark.

 

His dismissal via an unfortunate run-out, where he looked to have pulled a muscle again changed the course of the match in favour of the Chargers but then Brett Lee and Piyush Chawla hit the remaining runs with a bowl to spare.

 

Earlier batting first, the Chargers were boosted by a fabulous fifty from the bat of Andrew Symonds (60 not out), who was playing his first match of this edition of the IPL. They finished on a competitive 168 runs after having been put in spot of bother at one stage losing four wickets with less than 80 on the board. But before Symonds took up the Chargers charge, the Kings XI Punjab had inflicted a few telling blows. Brett Lee looked good with the new ball and kept Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs relatively quite in the initial overs. A couple of misfields by Piyush Chawla though was ruining the bowlers efforts.

 

It was Sreesanth who struck gold first scalping the prize wicket of Adam Gilchrist after the left-hander had started to look dangerous. Gilchrist could not keep a flick down and Powar picked up an easy one on the square-leg fence. Piyush Chawla then struck a big blow in his first over, sending back Herschelle Gibbs (13), well caught at the point region by Mahela Jayawardene. Medium-pacer Wilkin Mota dealt the third blow to the Chargers removing TS Suman (27), with the Hyderabad side left struggling at 72 for three before the strategy break.

 

Brett Lee then struck immediately after the break sending off Rohit Sharma just for nine, with the Chargers reeling at 73 for four at the end of the 11th over. Deccan Chargers were then moving at snails pace but thereafter Andrew Symonds began the carnage that he is so known for. He started to hit the bowlers all around the park. His knock was studded by 2 fours and four huge sixes. Symonds propped up the momentum for his team in the able company of Venugopal Rao(32).