Deccan back in charge

Symonds stars with bat, Vaas with ball as Deccan win in Chennai

Last updated: 14th March 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Deccan back in charge

Symonds: Half century

Indian Premier League
Chennai
Deccan Chargers 190-4 Innings Complete (A Symonds 50) v Chennai Super Kings 159-9 Innings Complete
Deccan Chargers beat Chennai Super Kings by 31 runs

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Deccan Chargers bounced back from their opening-night defeat with a comfortable 31-run victory over Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.

The reigning IPL champions lost on Friday night in the opening fixture of the tournament, but fired by some fierce batting from Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist they got back to winning ways.

Symonds hit 50 while fellow Australian Gilchrist crunched 38 from just 17 balls and Herschelle Gibbs added 45 as the visitors made a decent 190-4 from their 20 overs.

Sri Lankan left-armer Chaminda Vaas took three quick wickets to decimate the Chennai top order and, despite the best efforts of MS Dhoni and Albie Morkel, the Super Kings could only muster 159-9 after falling so far behind the run rate.

Deccan skipper Gilchrist started off in typically explosive fashion in Chennai, as he and VVS Laxman swatted 47 after the first four overs had been bowled.

Sixes

Gilchrist went for 38 from 17 balls after hammering three big sixes as the opening partnership ended on 55, and Laxman followed in the same fifth over as he was run out for 12.

Symonds and South African star Gibbs then took control with their fine third-wicket partnership of 95 putting the visitors in control of the game.

Gibbs hit 45 off 36 before being run out with the score on 150, and Symonds reached his 50 off 43 balls with three sixes before he was also run out in the penultimate over of the innings.

Deccan were able to close on a healthy 190-4 as Rohit Sharma and Tirumalsetti Suman combined for a sparkling final over which yielded 22 runs and really put them in the box seat.

A slow start saw Chennai instantly fall behind the required run rate, and matters got worse in just the third over when Vaas got rid of both opener Murali Vijay and Surech Raina - who had come in and smacked a six before edging behind on his third ball.

Vaas attack

Matthew Hayden made 17 before he became Vaas' third victim as the Sri Lanka produced the most rarest overs in Twenty20 cricket, a wicket-maiden, on the way to finishing with superb figures of 3-21 from his four overs.

The damage was largely done even with the depth of batting power available to Chennai, with Justin Kemp making 22 before being stumped, after making 37 alongside skipper Dhoni.

Dhoni and Morkel then made 38 but when Dhoni was bowled by Symonds for 42 that effectively ended the Super Kings' chances.

Morkel bravely battled on and he was left not out on 42 with three sixes included in his 26-ball knock, but the run rate and lack of company at the crease were always against him.

Symonds got rid of Muttiah Muralitharan to add figures of 2-29 to his half-century with the bat to star for the Chargers as they got their IPL defence back on track after an early setback.