Chargers crush under performing Riders

Deccan Chargers beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 8 wickets to win the fourth match of the second edition of the Indian Premier League at Newlands in Cape Town on Sunday.RP Singh was adjudged the Man of the Match for taking 4 wickets. Riding on unbeaten knocks by Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma, Deccan Chargers chased down the victory target of 102 runs in just 13.1 overs. Gibbs's knock of 43 came off 26 deliveries and was studded with 5 fours and a six, while Rohit hit 2 sixes and 3 fours in his 36-run knock that came off 32 deliveries. Deccan Chargers lost captain Adam Gilchrist and former captain VVS Laxman in quick succession but with an unbeaten partnership of 69 runs, Gibbs and Rohit thwarted the Riders' plan of a fightback by taking some easy singles and punishing the bad balls. Ashok Dinda got his team the first breakthrough when Gilchrist edged high up in the air for Moises Henriques takes a well judged catch at square leg. The former Aussie opener hit 2 fours in his 13-run knock off 11 balls. Laxman hit a splendid six off Ishant Sharma over the mid-wicket fence and followed it with a sweetly timed boundary through the covers but then got run out needlessly. Laxman (10) tapped to backward point and went for a single, was sent back by Herschelle Gibbs, but was too slow to turn around and beat the throw from Laxmi Ratan Shukla into the hands of Brendon McCullum to run out the Hyderabadi. The fall of these two wickets in quick succession gave the Riders some hope of a fightback but Gibbs and Rohit Sharma have so far thwarted their plans by taking some easy singles and punishing the bad balls. Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders were bowled out for 101 runs in 19.4 overs.