BHARAT Chipli smashed an unbeaten 61 off 35 balls to power Deccan Chargers to their first victory in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) yesterday.
The Hyderabad outfit posted a daunting 175 for five after being asked to bat by Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Daniel Vettori and then restricted their opponents to 142 for nine to win by 33 runs.
Chipli made merry with five boundaries and three sixes after captain Kumar Sangakkara (36) and opener Sunny Sohal (38) laid the foundation with a 50-run stand for the second wicket.
The 28-year-old added 55 runs for the fourth with South African JP Duminy (22), who celebrated his 27th birthday yesterday, as the Chargers added 61 runs in the last five overs.
In reply, the Bangalore side got off to a poor start and were reduced to 56 for five on a pitch that had a bit of pace and bounce for the seamers.
Virat Kohli, part of India’s World Cup winning team, waged a lone battle with a 51-ball 71 but it was not enough for the Royal Challengers against fiery pace bowling from Dale Steyn and Manpreet Gony, who picked up three wickets apiece.
South African Steyn was adjudged the player of the match for his three for 24 as the Chargers pace battery claimed eight of the nine wickets that fell.
The win catapulted the Hyderabad side to fourth on the 10-team table while the Royal Challengers Bangalore dropped to seventh spot.
