Deccan Chargers Keep Semifinals Hopes Alive

Defending champion keeps the semifinals hopes alive. Rohit Sharma of Deccen Charges scored his eighth IPL fifty and slammed six fours and three sixes in his rapid-fire 38-ball inning to keep semifinals hopes alive for the defending champions.
Mahela Jayawardene (93 not out) and skipper Kumar Sangakkara (52) scored fifties apiece to help Kings XI Punjab post 174/3 against Deccan Chargers.

Jayawardene ended the Kings XI innings in style adding 86 runs off 51 balls with Yuvraj Singh (20) to set up a respectable 175-run target against Deccan.

Jayawardene slammed 13 fours and 2 sixes in his 62-ball blitzkrieg whereas Yuvraj hit 1 four and a six in his 20-ball stay on the crease before getting out in the last over.

After losing Shaun Marsh (0) in the first over, Jayawardene and Sangakkara put on 86-run partnership for the second wicket to resurrect the Punjab innings. Punjab spinner Rahul Sharma dismissed Sangakkara in the twelfth over after the left-hander slammed nine fours and a six in his quick-fire 37 balls inning.

Deccan pacer Ryan Harris struck in the first over to dismiss Shaun Marsh (0) to reduce Kings XI to 1/1 in 0.5 overs.

Rohit Sharma (68 not out) and Tirumalsetti Suman (43) lead Deccan Chargers to five-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League match at HPCA stadium, Dharamsala on Friday.
Deccan lost Andrew Symonds (4) and Tirumalsetti Suman (43) in consecutive overs after a decent 66-run partnership between Suman and Sharma.

Suman hit three fours and three sixes in his 31-ball quick-fire inning before Piyush Chawla dismissed him in the fourteenth over.

Kings XI pacer Vikramjeet Malik trapped Monish Mishra (20) LBW in the seventh over after Irfan Pathan struck in the second over to get rid of Adam Gilchrist (9).

Deccan skipper Adam Gilchrist won the toss and decided to field against Kings XI.