Kings XI stay afloat, just

Yuvraj's second hat-trick consigns Chargers to one-run defeat

Put into bat, Punjab scored a modest 134 for seven, built largely around Kumar Sangakkara’s 43-ball 56, and then rode on Yuvraj’s hat-trick to restrict Hyderabad to 133 for eight.

Deccan, though, looked like to have run away with the match with Rohit Sharma hitting a quickfire 26-ball 42 and his side needing just four runs from five balls before he was out in the third ball of the last over.

RP Singh and Jaskaran Singh could score just two runs to give Kings XI a one-run victory.
Earlier, Yuvraj came to his team’s rescue when Deccan was cruising towards the modest target of 135 with 65 for two wickets after 10 overs.

Opener Herchelle Gibbs departed in the last delivery of the first over after the strategy break off Yuvraj as the South African’s powerful cut found Piyush Chawla at backward point who pouched a sharp catch.

Yuvraj sizzled again in his next over sending dangerous looking Andrew Symonds (25 off 25) packing as wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara first fumbled with the ball but finished it up with a brilliant stumping.

Yuvraj’s very next delivery then disturbed Venugopal Rao’s (0) stumps as the lefi-arm spinner completed his second hat-trick in the Twenty20 event, with the first one coming against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Earlier, Punjab got off to a disastrous start losing three early wickets in Sunny Sohal (9), Luke Pomerbsach (1) and Australian Simon Katich (11) within first five overs. Sohal started on an attacking note by cracking a sixer in the first over off paceman Ryan Harris, but fell prey to RP Singh in the next over as his another ambitious shot found Rohit at fine-leg.

Katich, looking dangerous after hitting two fours, only complicated things for Punjab when he offered an easy catch to Pragyan Ojha off Andrew Symonds, leaving the team struggling at 26 for 3.

Yuvraj (20 off 18) then paired up with Sri Lankan wicket-keeper batsman Sangakkara (56 off 43) to mark a short recovery before Rao cleaned bowled the Punjab skipper.
Punjab batsmen found it hard to score runs against a disciplined Deccan bowling attack who maintained a stifling line and length.

Sangakkara, who struck five fours and a six in his quickfire 56-run innings, stitched a crucial 53-run partnership with Wilkin Mota (12) to guide Punjab to a decent score of 134.
For Deccan left-arm paceman RP Singh (3-26) was the best bowler of the day, picking up three wickets for 26 runs, including that of dangerman Sangakkara.

Chasing the modest target of 135, Gilchrist started on a sizzling note, cracking three boundaries and lofty hit the fence to pick up 18 runs of Irfan Pathan’s second and innings’ fourth over. With Gilchrist (23) and Gibbs going great runs, Yuvraj was forced to introduce Ramesh Powar into the attack in the fifth over and the strategy immediately yielding result with the off-spinner inflicting twin blows in consecutive deliveries. Gilchrist was the first to depart stumped by Sangakkara off Powar.

SCORE BOARD

KINGS XI PUNJAB: Sunny Sohal c Sharma b Singh 9, Simon Katich c Ojha b Symonds 11, Luke Pomersbach (run out) 1, Yuvraj Singh b Venugopal Rao 20, Kumar Sangakkara c Harris b Singh 56, Wikin Mota c Harris b Suman 12, Irfan Pathan c Gibbs b Singh 17, Brett Lee (not out) 0, Piyush Chawla (not out) 1. Extras (B-1, W-5, NB-1) 7. Total (for 7 wkts, 20 overs) 134.

Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-15, 3-26, 4-52, 5-105, 6-122, 7-131.
Bowling: Ryan Harris 4-0-31-0, Rudra Pratap Singh 4-0-26-3, Andrew Symonds 2-0-10-1, Rohit Sharma 2-0-23-0, Tirumalasetti Suman 4-0-23-1, Y Venugopal Rao 2-0-8-1, Pragyan Ojha 2-0-12-0.

DECCAN CHARGERS: Adam Gilchrist st Sangakkara b Powar 23, Herschelle Gibbs c Chawla b Yuvraj Singh 26, Tirumalasetti Suman b Powar 0, Andrew Symonds st Sangakkara b Yuvraj Singh 25, Rohit Sharma b Pathan 42, Y Venugopal Rao b Yuvraj Singh 0, Ravi Teja (run out) 10, Ryan Harris (not out) 2, Rudra Pratap Singh c&b Pathan 0, Jaskaran Singh (not out) 0. Extras (B-1, W-2, NB-2) 5. Total (for 8 wkts, 20 overs) 133.
Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-34, 3-73, 4-79, 5-79, 6-110, 7-131, 8-131.
Bowling: Brett Lee 4-0-31-0, Irfan Pathan 3-0-29-2, S Sreesanth 2-0-10-0, Ramesh Powar 2-0-11-2, Piyush Chawla 4-0-20-0, Yuvraj Singh 4-0-13-3, Wilkin Mota 1-0-18-0.