Sharma sparks Kochi collapse

Ishant Sharma took five wickets as the Deccan Chargers secured an easy 55-run victory over the stuttering Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

Indian paceman takes five-for as Kochi collapse against Chargers

Ishant Sharma took five wickets as the Deccan Chargers secured an easy 55-run victory over the stuttering Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the Indian Premier League. One of the newcomers to the IPL, Kochi had been set a target of 130 to win at home after the Chargers reached 129-7 from their 20 overs. However, Sharma and Dale Steyn combined to rattle through a woeful batting line-up from the hosts as they could muster just 74 runs and last just 16.3 overs in their response. Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene's side has six batsmen out for a duck, including five of their top six as they got off to an awful start when slipping to 11-6. Sharm's devastating spell saw him pick up a lot of movement off the pitch which proved too much for the Tuskers as he took 5-12 from his three overs. South African paceman Steyn also proved unplayable at times as he took three wickets and conceded just 16 runs. Deccan had started badly themselves as they slipped to 20-3 before captain Kumar Sangakkara got to grips with the situation by smashing 65 from just 47 balls. Sangakkara, who got lucky when he was bowled off a no-ball, also combined with Australian Cameron White for a 90-run partnership for the fourth wicket - all of which proved far too much for Kochi.