Kings extend their reign

Deccan Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist must be wondering who has been writing the scripts for his team.

Deccan Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist must be wondering who has been writing the scripts for his team. Despite their star cast, the side8217;s batting has been found wanting right through the Indian Premier League IPL, and poor results have ensured they have stayed at the bottom of the table.

So when Gilchrist 038; Co came down to Mohali for this game, having already missed the bus to the semis, he told his team to step onto the field without any burden of expectations. 8216;Just enjoy8217; was his mantra for them and the batters seemed to have some fun for a change. On a PCA Stadium pitch which had something for the bowlers, the Hyderabad batting clicked with Gilchrist himself showing the way and the team8217;s most consistent batsman Rohit Sharma showing his promise once again.

But in the end, the Kings XI Punjab8217;s run-chase was so meticulous that the party had began much before the last ball was bowled.

Clinical approach

Yuvraj8217;s boys put up a thoroughly professional batting display. The side had already made it to the last four but the skipper had spoken about the importance of keeping the momentum going, knowing well how one bad game could derail their intensity. And his batsmen compensated for the indifferent bowling earlier in the evening 8212; they had conceded 64 runs in the last five overs.

Even before Gilchrist could try to mix things up on the bowling front, the Punjab openers Kumar Sangakkara and Shaun Marsh had taken the match out of Hyderabad8217;s grasp, adding 84 runs for the first wicket in less than eight overs. The result was just a formality after that.

Sangakkara departed for a brisk 50, but Marsh and Yuvraj ensured it was all one-way traffic. Marsh, in particular, shone during his 60 that made the second highest run-getter in the tournament after Delhi8217;s Gautam Gambhir. Shaun has now 438 runs to Gambhir8217;s 504, and with two more games up his sleeves, the orange cap is not quite out of reach.

Vain efforts

Earlier, Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs showed great application to take on the Punjab seamers on a pitch laden with moisture. Gilchrist got a half ton while Gibbs just fell short, but the knock of the day was played by Rohit, whose 50 was studded with three fours and four sixes.

Match Corner

Deccan Chargers

A Gilchrist b Powar 42b, 6215;4, 1215;6 50

H Gibbs b Singh 34b, 3215;4, 3215;6 44

R Sharma b Singh 27b, 3215;4, 4215;6 50

V Rao c Chawla b Sreesanth 5b 2

C Silva not out 10b, 2215;4, 1215;6 23

S Styris not out 2b 1

Extras lb-4, w-1 5

Total 4 wickets; 20 overs: 175

FoW: 1-79, 2-111, 3-149, 4-163

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