Thaindian News

Nagpur, April 13 (IANS) Defending champions Deccan Chargers kept alive their hopes of a semi-final berth with an exciting 13-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Jamtha here Monday.
Deccan Chargers bowlers put up a splendid display and bowled out the Royal Challengers for 138 runs in 19.4 overs for their third consecutive win. Ryan Harris, Rudra Pratap Singh, Pragyan Ojha and Harmeet Singh picked up two wickets each and defended the total of 151 that Deccan Chargers achieved by losing six wickets after being put to bat first.

With the win, Deccan Chargers got 10 points from 12 matches and jumped two places up to the fifth spot in the table while the Royal Challengers stayed at the second place.

Harris struck with the first ball of the innings by removing opener Manish Pandey, but the veteran duo of Jacques Kallis (27) and Rahul Dravid (49) steadied the chase with their 74-run partnership for the second wicket.

Dravid was the first to depart and his 35-ball innings was studded with eight fours. Kallis followed him shortly after the South African came down the track to charge Ojha and Boapati Sumanth took a good catch at long-on.

Kallis’ departure triggered a collapse as Royal Challengers lost seven wickets for just 43 runs.

Robin Uthappa (34) waged a lonely battle with his 20-ball innings, during which he hit three sixes. Uthappa was going hammer and tongs and Harmeet castled him in the 19th over as celebrations broke out in the Chargers dug-out. In the very next ball, Harmeet struck again to trap Dale Steyn leg before the wicket as Royal Challengers were reduced to 134 for eight.

In the last over, Royal Challengers needed 17 runs and Harris bowled an exceptional last over by rattling the stumps of R.Vinay Kumar (4) while in the next ball K.P.Apanna was run out as the Bangalore outfit was bowled out for 138 run with two balls to spare.

Earlier in the day, riding on Rohit Sharma’s 51 and Monish Mishra’s 41, Deccan Chargers overcame a poor start to get a decent total on board. In the third over, Deccan Chargers were reeling at 14 for three, but it was the 82-run partnership between Sharma and Mishra that gave Chargers’ bowlers a target to defend.