Dhawan puts Punjab out of contention

Deccan Chargers 198 for 2 (Dhawan 95, Ravi Teja 60) beat Kings XI Punjab 116 (Gilchrist 51, Mishra 4-9) by 82 runs

	Shikhar Dhawan got his highest Twenty20 score © AFP

The happily-ever-after ending that Kings XI Punjab were expecting for their campaign slipped through their fingers, literally, in Dharamsala. Their rise from the dead has been the story of the IPL, but they crumbled in the field in a must-win game and were eliminated from the race for the play-offs.

Dropped catches galore, spiced up with misfields and missed run-outs, allowed Deccan Chargers' openers, Shikhar Dhawan and D Ravi Teja, to deliver just the kind of a partnership that would lift the spirits of a struggling team in its final game. While Amit Mishra did his bit with a hat-trick, it was their stand that put the task beyond Punjab's batsmen. The result meant Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders qualified for the play-offs.

The first over set the tone for the day. There was encouragement for Praveen Kumar from the track, with the ball moving both ways, but there wasn't much the bowlers could do when not backed up by their fielders. Ryan McLaren missed an attempt to run out Shikhar Dhawan first ball and Ravi Teja was dropped by Paul Valthaty in the deep moments later. Both chances were difficult, yet manageable, and proved decisive in the outcome.

The opening bowlers, Praveen and Ryan Harris, erred in line, particularly against Dhawan, who played through square leg and fine leg for boundaries. While Dhawan looked determined to bat through, it was Ravi Teja's responsibility to maintain the high tempo. Dhawan focussed on the gaps, timing and power enabling him to pierce them with ease, while Ravi Teja went over the top, accomplishing the task he was sent out for, albeit with much fortune.

Match Meter DC Lucky openers step up: Deccan are 58 without loss in the sixth over after Dhawan and Ravi Teja are given reprieves DC Ravi Teja rides his luck: He survives a run-out, is dropped, and smashes Chawla for two sixes. At the end of the 13th over, Deccan are 129 without loss DC A good finish: Dhawan is unable to get a century but takes Deccan to an intimidating 198 DC Early losses: Paul Valthaty and Shaun Marsh fall in quick time, and the pressure on Punjab grows DC The decisive blow: Gilchrist, after giving Punjab some hope, is caught at extra cover in the 11th over and it is all but over for his team this IPL Advantage Honours even

Streaky as he was, Ravi Teja sent Punjab's frustration levels soaring. He survived a run-out in the 11th over - umpire Asad Rauf didn't call for a replay - and edged the next two balls from McLaren to the third-man boundary. He was dropped by Harris in the next over, and then launched Piyush Chawla for two massive sixes in another over that yielded 20 runs. By the time he was finally caught, he had smashed 60 when he should have been dismissed for a duck.

Having fed on tripe bowled on the pads, Dhawan drove Harris twice for boundaries through the off side, then ceded the floor to Ravi Teja, before taking the lead once again following his dismissal. His intentions were clear right after the second time-out, as he slog-swept Chawla and Bhargav Bhatt. He scarred Harris in his return spell with consecutive fours, including one that almost decapitated the man at the non-striker's end, Cameron White. Dhawan's first six was over cow-corner, and he was unfortunate to miss out on three figures, not being able to farm much of the strike at the end of the innings.

Punjab had changed their strategy in this game, opting to chase, leaving some a little surprised since Adam Gilchrist had scored a blistering ton at the same venue after batting first in their previous game. The pressure of a big target, despite the friendly surface and the small boundaries, was too difficult a challenge. Paul Valthaty perished in the second over, Shaun Marsh smashed JP Duminy for successive boundaries but was caught on the third attempt, edging to short third man. Gilchrist stood in the way and there was hope when he launched Anand Rajan over extra cover and slog-swept Pragyan Ojha into the stands.

Unlike Punjab, though, Deccan caught well and when Gilchrist drove Daniel Christian straight to Cameron White in the 11th over, the game was decided. Mishra got into the act: his first wicket, that of McLaren, was a product of an excellent diving catch by Christian in the deep. Mandeep Singh swung and missed to be stumped off the next ball, and Harris edged a googly straight to second slip to complete the hat-trick. The element of suspense Punjab brought to a mostly predictable tournament was over. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Deccan end Pune's slim hopes

Deccan Chargers 138 for 4 (Sohal 34, Dhawan 28, Rahul 2-25) beat Pune Warriors 136 for 9 (Marsh 37, Christian 2-13, Mishra 2-26) by six wickets

	Sunny Sohal put on 67 for the opening wicket with Shikhar Dhawan © AFP

A bowling attack having four Test bowlers bowled to its world-class potential for once and Deccan Chargers' batting did not stumble chasing a middling total to end Pune Warriors' slim hopes of making the play-offs.

Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma gave the Pune top- and middle-order a complete working over, each posing various problems of flight, turn, pace and bounce. For once, Daniel Christian was much more than just the supporting cast, and the result was that apart from the opening over, there was only one team that dominated most of the match, and it wasn't Pune. Had it not been for Mitchell Marsh's counterattacking innings, Pune would have struggled even more.

After Kumar Sangakkara began with JP Duminy in his last IPL game, the introduction of Steyn and Ishant was the start of Pune's woes. Manish Pandey looked as out of place as a bargain hunter in a fixed-price store, top-edging half-hearted pulls and slashing wildly over slip.

Jesse Ryder looked much more comfortable, but he fell to a blinder from Ravi Teja at cover, who dived to his left to pouch a powerful drive. Sourav Ganguly did not last long. His first attempt to carve Christian over extra cover resulted in a swing-and-miss. The next one resulted in a simple chance to Ojha at mid-off. Ojha foxed Pandey with one that came in to uproot middle stump.

Pune were already in trouble at 45 for 3 when they ran in to Mishra, Deccan's most successful bowler this season, and the architect of their surprise win over Mumbai Indians. The first delivery struck Robin Uthappa on the pads as he missed the flick, the fourth was a loopy legbreak that dipped on him and produced a fatal leading edge that popped to Mishra. The fifth was even better. It was tossed up outside off stump and Mithun Manhas set himself up for the cut, expecting it to turn away. To his horror, it was the googly that turned in and bowled him off the inside edge as Pune slipped to 45 for 5.

Once again, it was down to Yuvraj Singh to lift Pune out of the hole the other batsmen had dug. Yuvraj looked the part, slamming Ojha for consecutive boundaries in the tenth over, but he could not hang around for long, top-edging a wild pull off Christian to Sangakkara.

Marsh showed glimpses of why he is talked about so much, smacking the spinners for sixes after having taken his time to settle. Deccan managed 34 runs off the last three overs, courtesy Marsh and Wayne Parnell, and that lifted them to a fighting total which they would have gladly taken at 45 for 5. Deccan hadn't won a match chasing this season, and Pune hadn't won while setting a target. The latter trend was to continue.

Pune's only hope was to rattle Deccan's brittle batting line-up early but with both Shikhar Dhawan and Sunny Sohal managing to perform to expectation, their slender hopes of making the play-offs started to disappear. The Deccan openers stuck to their usual selves; Dhawan chugged smoothly to 28 before throwing it away, Sohal threatened to do so throughout his 34 before Rahul Sharma trapped him leg-before.

While Dhawan drove and punched for delightful boundaries through extra cover, Sohal did what he does best, swing at everything, hit some and miss some. There were sixes over extra cover and long-on; he also earned a wide for height as he fell away trying to flail at a short ball from two feet outside leg stump. An opening stand of 67 in 49 deliveries meant Pune needed Deccan to fall apart like they themselves had earlier, but Sangakkara and Duminy ensured Pune were firmly shut out of the game, and knocked out of the race for the play-offs. The only thing Deccan were left wondering was how their season could have gone if their potential had been realised earlier. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Deccan prevail in low-scoring upset

Deccan Chargers 135 for 6 (Kulkarni 3-26) beat Mumbai Indians 125 for 8 (Tendulkar 37, Rajan 3-27) by 10 runs

	Amit Mishra hit Munaf Patel for four successive boundaries in the last over © AFP

For 19 overs Deccan Chargers, out of the competition already, seemed to be going through the motions. In the 20th, they came to life through Amit Mishra's four successive boundaries off his India team-mate Munaf Patel. Mishra and his India spin rival Pragyan Ojha then bowled eight overs for 34 runs on a turning pitch, sucking the life out of Mumbai's chase. A rollercoaster final over by IPL debutant Anand Rajan made for good drama too.

Mumbai, pretty much like Deccan, woke up in the last two overs, with 42 required. Kieron Pollard and Harbhajan Singh took 16 off the 19th, and then Pollard got stuck into Rajan, who had earlier removed Sachin Tendulkar and TL Suman in the same over. Rajan was chosen to bowl that last over ahead of the overseas pro and expensively acquired Daniel Christian. Pollard hit the first length ball for a huge six. Rajan's attempt at a yorker resulted in a leg-side wide. Pollard got a thick edge on the next, and dived a mile to complete the second. Both teams' scores after 19.2 overs were identical: 119 for 6.

Pollard started doing what Mishra had, flicking a leg-side length ball for four. The debutant had to be under pressure, although an expressionless face didn't give away much. Kumar Sangakkara and Ishant Sharma, fielding at a very straight mid-on, called conferences every ball. Rajan's previous over had featured the wicket of the best batsman in the world. He was throwing it away now. Then came a smart slower ball, a split-finger one, outside off. This edge from Pollard carried to third man. Game over. Rajan didn't go delirious celebrating in true IPL fashion. He just smiled.

For a little less than the first half of the match, Deccan hadn't had much to smile about. From the moment Michael Lumb lost his leg stump to Lasith Malinga in the first over, Deccan lived a stifled life. Not one of the main batsmen, except for Shikhar Dhawan, struck at a run a ball.

Malinga and Harbhajan Singh were difficult to get away, and Dhawal Kulkarni sneaked in three wicket-taking deliveries. It seemed Mumbai had resumed normal service after their 87 all out in the previous game. Then Munaf began the last over, at 112 for 6. Dhawan hoisted the first for six. Munaf came back well with a yorker that brought Mishra on strike.

This is where the game started turning. Munaf bowled a bouncer, and the top edge flew over the keeper's head. Munaf had things to say to Mishra then, which didn't quite go well with the Deccan batsmen. Dhawan too joined in the exchange. An attempted yorker now ended up as a full toss, and ended up at the midwicket fence. This time Mishra was looking for Munaf. The next was half edged, half guided past the keeper. Mishra and Munaf collided on the pitch even as the ball reached the third man boundary. Another yorker went wrong, and another full toss was clipped for four.

Deccan went into the defence with confidence. JP Duminy, who was beautifully done in by a loopy offbreak earlier in the match, bowled a beauty himself, opening the innings. That offbreak, pitching leg, hitting off, removed Aiden Blizzard, and sent Mumbai into caution mode. Now with Mishra and Ojha turning the ball square, Deccan's 135 started to look a good total.

Ishant, too, chipped in with the wickets of Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma. With wickets falling around him, Tendulkar seemed to be stuck between caution and aggression. He too tried to go after the debutant in the 16th over, with 60 still required. He punched him for four first ball, but then saw Suman perish to a slower one. To the last ball of the over, he moved across to try and pull, and was caught dead in front. Ojha and Mishra came back to give just 11 off the next overs.

Pollard's hitting in the next two overs - teasingly close to a win - went on to emphasise that he should be batting higher for Mumbai, who are now out of the crucial top two on the points table. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Disciplined Pune outplay uninspired Deccan

Pune Warriors 137 for 4 (Pandey 49, Ganguly 32*) beat Deccan Chargers 136 for 8 (Marsh 4-25, Yuvraj 2-17) by six wickets

	Yuvraj Singh led the Pune effort with the ball © AFP

Match Meter DC Dhawan and Teja off to a quick startShikhar Dhawan and DB Ravi Teja enjoy the medium-pacers, getting to 50 in six overs. PW Yuvraj and marsh strike back Yuvraj Singh gets a wicket in the seventh over, Mitchell Marsh in the eighth, and the score now is 56 for 2. PW Pune never release the choke hold Only six boundaries come in the rest of the innings as wickets keep falling and Deccan manage just 136. PW Ryder tucks into the chase Jesse Ryder smacks Dale Steyn for 14 in the first over, getting rid of the only man likely to derail the chase. Advantage Honours even

Deccan Chargers were handcuffed by Yuvraj Singh's round-arm left-arm spin, submitting to a middling total after a flashy start. They lost two wickets to Yuvraj at crucial junctures, and scored only 17 off his four overs. Mitchell Marsh and Rahul Sharma did their bit too, conceding 49 in their eight overs. Marsh was rewarded handsomely with three wickets in the 19th over with frustrated batsmen looking to force the pace. Jesse Ryder and Manish Pandey made light work of the chase, although this game was inconsequential to qualification for further rounds.

With the way Shikhar Dhawan and DB Ravi Teja started the game, a facile win would have been the last thing on Pune Warriors' minds. They brought up the fifty in the sixth over, but Yuvraj dismissed Dhawan in his first over, and the squeeze that followed slowed Deccan down. Five fours and two sixes were hit in the first six overs, only six boundaries in the rest of the piece.

Dhawan and Teja were good against the medium pace of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shrikanth Wagh, and Dhawan welcomed Rahul Sharma and Wayne Parnell to the crease with sixes. When he tried to do the same to Yuvraj, who had brought himself on to stop the bleeding, the bowler pulled the length back, bowled a little slower, and Dhawan could only sky him to cover. Marsh followed it up with a played-on dismissal of Teja's. At 56 for 2 in the eighth over, Kumar Sangakkara and JP Duminy tried to make sure there were no more quick strikes.

However, Rahul beat Sangakkara's sweep with a flat, straight delivery. Yuvraj came back, and tortured Daniel Christian with deliveries that wouldn't spin. Finally Christian played around his front pad to be caught dead plumb. At 98 for 3 in the 15th over, the onus was on Duminy to take Deccan to a good total. However, as has been the case of late, Duminy couldn't make a telling contribution, managing a run-a-ball 30.

Dale Steyn, faced with the prospect of defending a pedestrian total, took matters in his own hands, and scored 10 off the last over, in the process scoring only the third boundary since the 15th over. Ryder, though, was quick to see off the only threat to their chase. He punched, drove and hooked Steyn for four, four and six in the first over. Between them, Ryder and Pandey scored 84 off 62, which basically finished off the chase. Before the end, though, the enthusiastic crowd finally got to see their beloved Sourav Ganguly bat in this IPL, who stayed there till the end, scoring a run-a-ball 32. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Deccan drown in Sehwag deluge

Delhi Daredevils 179 for 6 (Sehwag 119, Ishant 2-16) beat Delhi Daredevils 175 for 5 (Duminy 55, Sangakkara 44, Agarkar 2-29) by four wickets

	Take that, Deccan Chargers © AFP

For a large part of his career, it was tough being Sachin Tendulkar. In the IPL, it's tougher being Virender Sehwag. After having watched his bowlers take wickets off no-balls and his fielders drop sitters, the Delhi Daredevils captain took his frustration out on the Deccan Chargers with a blistering century, his first in Twenty20s. The assault bettered his masterpiece against Kochi Tuskers Kerala, and stunned Deccan into offering him two chances. Sehwag cashed in and drowned them in a flood of boundaries that took the bite out of a challenging total, unmindful of the complete lack of support from his team-mates. The next highest score was James Hopes' 17.

Delhi's bowlers had been profligate in letting Deccan surge to 175, and their top order, barring Sehwag, let the pressure get to them. Aaron Finch, Naman Ojha and Venugopal Rao combusted against seam as Sehwag watched bemused from his end. From 25 for 3 in the sixth over, only Sehwag could have taken Delhi home, and he did it in some style, moving from 8 off 13 balls to 119 off 56, pushing Deccan to the brink of elimination.

Sehwag has made a career out of sticking to his guns regardless of the situation, and his approach today was no different. Two balls after seeing Venugopal Rao top-edge a pull off Ishant Sharma to point, Sehwag shuffled across and glanced a boundary to fine leg. From middle stump. Next over, Travis Birt struggled against Daniel Christian, getting beaten three times in four balls. Sehwag watched as the asking-rate crossed eleven at the end of Christian's over, the seventh.

He broke free in the next over, bowled by IPL debutant Ishan Malhotra. The first ball disappeared over deep square leg, the next over deep midwicket. Two more boundaries followed, and Sehwag looted 23 off the over. As if to dispel the notion that he had targeted just the newcomer, Sehwag plundered 13 off the next over, from Christian.

Sangakkara thought spin, so often Sehwag's strength as well as weakness, would work, and brought on Amit Mishra. Sehwag displayed his strength first ball, dancing down and launching Mishra over the straight boundary. The weakness was on display next ball, as he rushed out again but ended up slicing to sweeper cover. That is when Deccan decided to return the earlier favours, substitute Ankit Sharma clanging a simple chance. Sehwag gladly guided the third ball through third man for four.

Birt departed in the 11th over, having contributed four runs to a partnership of 61 off 28 balls. Sehwag continued to ignore the procession at the other end, dispatching Mishra for three consecutive fours. The second of those boundaries slipped into the boundary from Ravi Teja's grasp, after he had managed to get both hands to the chance.

With 69 needed off 48, Sangakkara brought Dale Steyn back. Steyn dug one in short, Sehwag got on top of it, and flashed it past backward point. A desperate Sangakkara turned to Bharat Chipli's gentle medium pacers. Mistake. Sehwag brought up his hundred off the first ball, and then creamed the next two deliveries for sixes. Twenty-seven needed off 30. Game over. Though Steyn had him caught behind in the 17th over, the remaining batsmen managed to complete the heist.

Victory was looking far away for Delhi when they had allowed Deccan to get away to 175 on the bouncy pitch. Sangakkara and Shikhar Dhawan had chances grassed, and JP Duminy and Christian would have been dismissed within the space of three balls, had Yogesh Nagar not over-stepped twice in the 15th over.

Two of the four reprieved batsmen made Delhi pay dearly. Sangakkara doubled his score from 22 to 44, and Duminy went better, clattering four sixes on his way to converting 23 off 18 deliveries into 55 from 31. The no-balls meant what should have been 114 for 5 in the 15th over turned into 175 for 5 in 20 overs. Nagar's over disappeared for 20, after the only other over of spin conceded 12.

Sangakkara had joined Dhawan after Teja went early, but their partnership was a stop-start one, with punchy boundaries punctuated with swings-and-misses. There were also several inside and outside edges that went for boundaries behind the wicket. More luck was to come Deccan's way when Morkel dropped Sangakkara at short fine leg off Ajit Agarkar, and then failed to get near the ball when Dhawan top-edged a pull off the next delivery.

After Dhawan fell, Sangakkara's aggression allowed Duminy to play himself in before launching into an onslaught that took Deccan to what looked like a stiff total. Duminy, who had made 77 runs in five previous games, hardly looking like the batsman who had been struggling for runs. When in flow, Duminy is an extremely busy player, and while he got the big hits away, he also ran hard in typical fashion. Duminy added 71 in 33 deliveries with Christian, as Deccan made 108 in the last ten overs. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Yusuf and Co. make sloppy Deccan Chargers pay

Kolkata Knight Riders 169 for 4 (Yusuf 47*, Gambhir 35, Tiwary 33) beat Deccan Chargers 149 for 6 (Dhawan 54, Bhatia 2-26)

	Deccan Chargers let themselves down badly on the field© AFP

Deccan Chargers dropped too many catches in the first half of the game to allow Kolkata Knight Riders to motor along to 169, and then dropped intensity alarmingly in the chase to succumb to their sixth defeat in nine games. Yusuf Pathan was the biggest beneficiary of Deccan's fielding largesse, surviving three clangers to pummel his way to his highest score of the season. His assault yielded 47 off 26 balls, and helped Kolkata double their score in the last eight overs in Manoj Tiwary's company.

Deccan's pursuit followed a similar template to their misfiring chase against Chennai: Sunny Sohal kept opening up the off side and swiping in hope and Shikhar Dhawan once again receded into a shell after starting with promise. As he has done regularly this season, Iqbal Abdulla made things happen, removing Sohal and Kumar Sangakkara in his second over with clever changes of pace. Cameron White then crawled listlessly as the chase slumped to a mid-innings comatose. Rajat Bhatia put White out of his misery in the 11th over, and the game was over as a contest when Daniel Christian got a shocker three balls later. Dhawan tried to revive Deccan's hopes, but the innings has meandered for too long for a resurgence.

It seemed unlikely that Deccan would be chasing 170 when they limited Kolkata to 84 for 3 by the 12th over. Gautam Gambhir exited at that pivotal juncture, exposing two new batsmen to a repair job. Deccan, however, simply refused to seize the moment. Pragyan Ojha kept attacking with flight, and Yusuf tried to break free by lofting over the leg side. He was beaten in the air, though, and Amit Mishra ran back at long-off to get under the mis-hit. Drop. In the next over, Mishra had Yusuf mis-cuing in the same direction, towards Christian. Another drop. The next ball was whacked with the turn over the extra-cover boundary, and Kolkata never looked back.

Sangakkara missed a trick by holding Dale Steyn's second spell back until the 16th over. Yusuf had got his eye in by then, and the fact that Tiwary faced that entire over did not help Deccan's cause. Tiwary looted two off-side fours off Steyn, before Yusuf thumped Ishant Sharma for a massive six over long-on. By the time Dhawan grassed Yusuf again in the 18th over, Deccan were in damage-control mode, and doing a poor job at it. Tiwary launched Christian for six more, before Yusuf fore-handed Ishant and whipped Steyn for boundaries to ensure Kolkata finished with a bang.

The start of Kolkata's innings was a dawdle by comparison, in spite of Eoin Morgan's innate energy at the crease. He nearly ran himself out first ball, and charged out to the third and dumped Christian over long-on for a six. Thereafter Jacques Kallis settled into accumulation mode. He checked in with a typically pristine set of boundaries, charming Steyn through the covers, before redirecting short balls from Ishant on either side of the wicket for fours.

Gambhir took charge after Christian foxed Morgan with a slow offcutter. Gambhir lofted his first ball emphatically over the covers for four, before slashing Ojha through point. His joust with Christian was the most captivating mini-battle of the session, and included a heaved pull for six, a drop, a collision and a heated exchange of words. Kolkata progressed to 73 in the first ten overs, and Deccan were in need for some inspiration. The spinners produced just that, with Mishra foxing Kallis in the flight and Ojha hoodwinking Gambhir, but the fielding was about to let them down big-time. Yusuf exacted full toll, and ensured it was another forgettable night for the Hyderabad supporters who have witnessed only one home win in three-and-a-half seasons. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Smart Chennai withstand Sohal blinder

Chennai Super Kings 165 for 5 (Raina 59, Hussey 46, Morkel 19, Ojha 3-26) beat Deccan Chargers 146 for 8 (Sohal 56, Morkel 3-38, Jakati 2-23) by 19 runs

	One adventure too many: Sunny Sohal plays the fatal reverse-heave after the early onslaught © AFP

Match Meter CSKDC Deccan are tight with ball, loose in the field On a slow track, Deccan make a miserly start with the ball, but drop Michael Hussey and Suresh Raina early on in their innings. Hussey adds 36 after the life, and when Raina is dropped, Chennai are 88 for 2 in the 14th over. CSK Raina slog-sweeps Deccan into submission Raina gets on a boundary spree, scoring 34 off the last 13 deliveries he faces, taking Chennai to 136 for 3 after 18. CSK Morkel hits Ishant out of Chepauk Albie Morkel hits three successive sixes off Ishant Sharma in the 19th over to turn what looks like a fighting total into a formidable one. DC Sohal bats like there is no tomorrowSunny Sohal takes almost every risk possible, scoring 56 off 30, leaving Deccan a required rate of just 7.23. DCCSK Sides set up for final showdown A six-over period of relative quiet follows during which 36 runs are scored and only one wicket is lost, leaving Deccan 58 to get in the last seven. CSK Chennai's big boys do it Morkel, Dough Bollinger and R Ashwin concede just 38 in the last seven to turn another game around for Chennai. Advantage Honours even

Sunny Sohal was like a millionaire spending the last night of his life in Las Vegas, but as it often happens in heist films, the casino owners withstood the brilliant early hand. Sohal's 30-ball 56, full of extravagant risks, had turned a formidable chase into a regulation one, but Chennai Super Kings waited for the final fatal risk before closing in on the rest to deny them the required 95 off 79 deliveries.

It was a night of madness, of silly dropped chances and missed run-outs, of Sohal's extraordinary stroke-play; but the class in the Chennai attack brought the decisive sanity. It was difficult, though, to keep one's wits when Sohal was going. It seemed he could do no wrong, even when he was like a deer in the headlights against bouncers from Doug Bollinger and Albie Morkel. Twice he nearly shut his eyes hoping for the best, twice the ball found some part of the bat to fly over the keeper.

Sohal drove it home by making room often and lofting the pace bowlers over cover, and the spinners over long-on, cow corner and midwicket, wherever his arc took them. He hit six fours and four sixes in that spell of play. However, like an amateur gambler, he became too adventurous and tried three reverse-heaves off spin. Two he failed to connect, and the third took the stumps. At 71 for 1 in the seventh over, though, the situation called for sensible batting.

MS Dhoni let Shadab Jakati and Suraj Randiv go through a few quiet overs that resulted in Shikhar Dhawan's wicket. Jakati's effort of 2 for 23 allowed Dhoni to hold back his best overs. Bollinger, R Ashwin and Morkel could now bowl the last seven overs between them. Fifty-eight were required off those overs, and Deccan were still slight favourites.

Not for long. Morkel started the slide with a short ball that got Bharat Chipli's wicket. Ashwin followed it up with a two-run over. Forty-eight off 30 didn't sound quite that easy now. Kumar Sangakkara was forced to manufacture a flick over fine leg, and Bollinger hit the middle stump. Given the form Cameron White and JP Duminy are in, it was game over right there. And so it was as the duo duly holed out.

Deccan's effort in the field was almost a mirror reflection of their chase. On a surface as tired as the whole tournament, they stifled Chennai for the better part of their innings, but fielded poorly and bowled ordinarily at the death to let the hosts off the hook. Hussey enjoyed his fourth life in six IPL innings this year, Suresh Raina discovered two pleasantly surprising chances, and Morkel laid into gentle length balls in the 19th over to hurt Deccan.

White's 13 off 18 wasn't his first mistake of the night. He had dropped a sitter from Hussey. Had he taken that catch, Hussey would have been dismissed for 10, Pragyan Ojha would have got his second wicket in his first over, and Chennai would have been 19 for 2. As it usually happens - ask Kamran Akmal and friends for more - Hussey went on to make them pay with 36 more.

Harmeet Singh then proceeded to let Raina off, and he went from 25 off 22 when dropped to 59 off 35 when eventually caught after another life. There was some vengeful slog-sweeping and some leg-side bowling that helped his innings. Morkel, though, provided the exclamation to Deccan's horror effort in the field when he hit Ishant Sharma for three back-to-back sixes. That 21-run over in the end provided Chennai with the buffer to absorb Sohal's onslaught. And Morkel, with 3 for 38, played a significant part in the second half as well. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.