Defending champions Deccan Chargers raised their hopes of making the semi-final with a five-wicket win over cellar-side Kings XI Punjab in their IPL match at the HPCA stadium here yesterday
Defending champions Deccan Chargers raised their hopes of making the semi-final with a five-wicket win over cellar-side Kings XI Punjab in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stadium here yesterday.
Set a target of 175, Deccan Chargers made 178 for five with five balls to spare as Rohit Sharma made an unbeaten 68 and Tirumalasetti Suman struck 43 at the picturesque stadium. 
Deccan Chargers Rohit Sharma drives against Kings XI Punjab yesterday.
PIC/ SUBHASH BAROLIA
With their fourth consecutive win, Deccan Chargers now have 14 points from 13 matches and are fourth in the table while Kings XI remained at the bottom with eight points from 13 matches.
It was another disappointing performance by the Kings XI Punjab bowlers despite a fine job by their batsmen. Riding on Mahela Jayawardene's unbeaten 62-ball 93 and skipper Kumar Sangakkara's 52, Kings XI made 174 for three in 20 overs, after they were asked to bat by Adam Gilchrist.
Punjab's bowlers bowled poorly to make it easy for the Deccan Chargers batsmen. Irfan Pathan gave Kings XI a great start by getting rid of the dangerous Gilchrist (9) in the second over. But Sharma led the charge with a brilliant innings to take Deccan Chargers on the threshold of a semi-final berth. Sharma and Suman added 66-run for the third wicket to disappoint Kings XI. Chargers slipped from 120 for 2 to 126 for 4, but Sharma kept his cool to take his team home.
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