IPL: Punjab Beat Deccan To Remain In Contention

Kings XI Punjab piled on the misery for Deccan Chargers with a facile 25 run victory. Right from the time Deccan began their reply, the result looked a foregone conclusion as the chase lacked any direction. The win puts the team from Punjab right in the mix of things, and none of the bigger, much fancied teams can afford to slip up now.

While the rest of the batsmen around him struggled, there was no stopping Mandeep Singh. The diminutive opener struck boundaries at will, preferring the lofted drive off both the front and back foot, and interspersed them with flicks and sweeps. The youngster scored 75 off 48 balls, and was the driving force behind the batting. David Miller's final push meant that the score reached a challenging 170. Steyn was rested for the match, and none of the bowlers made much of an impression. Shikhar Dhawan with his off breaks was economical in his two overs.

Praveen Kumar who had bowled exceptionally in the previous match, looked set to repeat the performance as he got his swing back. He dismissed Dhawan with an out swinger and then got Sangakkara with a near unplayable delivery. Daniel Harris got a score of 30, but struggled to get the scoreboard ticking. The dismissal of White and the Sanga meant that the already rudderless innings, lost further direction. Reddy and Jhunjhunwala, who finally got a much deserved game, tried to rectify things, but the task was too huge to surmount. Their partnership of 43 runs only ensured that the defeat margin looked smaller than what it actually was. Other than Praveen, Awana once again showcased his ability, and continues to impress.