It was highly expected that change of venue would turn around things for Deccan Chargers (DC) but it did not happen. Deccan Chargers who entered the match looking for their first win could not help much and crashed to yet another defeat. Barabati which is Deccan’s home ground saw some fight back by the home team but was not enough to stop the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) walking way with the win. KKR chasing a target of 127 struggled a bit on a rain affected day but eventually won the match by five wickets and six balls to spare.

Here are some performances which determined the course of the match:

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Hits:

Gautam Gambhir: He played superbly at the top of the order to keep the score board ticking. His 28 balls 30 including four fours created a platform for a successful pursuit.

Manoj Tiwary and Jacques Kallis: Even though it was a small target, KKR faltered on occasions but these two held the ground and ensured a win for their team. Kallis however lost his wicket at an individual score of 23 but Manoj Tiwary continued his work and ended the match on an unbeaten 30.

Bowlers: KKR bowled brilliantly and the trio of Brett Lee (1-15), Sunil Narine (2-26) and Lakshmipathy Balaji (2-22) were responsible for Deccan Charger’s bat day at work with the bat. They bowled superb lines, took wickets at regular intervals and never allowed their batsmen to settle. Brett was also named the named man of the match for his lethal line and exceptional economy rate.

Flops:

Yusuf Pathan: He has failed right throughout the tournament and yesterday was no different. After hitting a six he went for another blind heave only to see his stumps being undone by Ankit Sharma. He scored six runs of four deliveries.

Hits and flop of Deccan Chargers:

Hits:

Shikhar Dhawan: Only half centurion in the match, Shikhar Dhawan played a very responsible knock. He played very cautiously on a day where runs were hard to come by and saw wickets falling at a flurry. He hit four boundaries and a six for his run a ball 50.

Dale Steyn: Bowling as a whole did well to prolong the inevitable till the last over, but it was Dale Steyn’s performance as usual with the ball that gave them a outer edge in the defence to such a small target. He picked up the all important wicket of Brendon McCullum and Kallis.

Flops:

Kumar Sangakkara: He was seen as the man who have changed DC’s fortune but he failed yet again. On a day when it was for required for the Sri Lankan skipper to perform, he failed leaving his team in doldrums. He scored 12 off 15 deliveries.

By Samikshan Dutta Choudhary

Indian Sports News