Kings XI Punjab beat Deccan Chargers by 8 wickets

Kings XI Punjab continued their new found success story in the IPL 2011 as they trounced Deccan Chargers by eight wickets at Hyderabad.

The Chargers, who had only broken their string of defeats at their home ground in the last game, fell back to defeat after Paul Valthaty shone for a second match in a row for Punjab.

Chasing a stiff 166-run target, Valthaty, opening with Adam Gilchrist, began very well. The left-right duo both scored attacking half -centuries and their first wicket stand was enough to take the match away from Deccan. Their first 50 runs came in only five overs as Valthaty smashed Manpreet Gony all over the park, hitting four fours and one six, in all taking 23 runs off one over. By the tenth over, the hundred-run mark had been breached too and there was no looking back for the Kings XI.

Gilchrist made 61 runs off 46 balls that included five fours and three sixes, and he was finally out in the 14th over. He pulled Amit Mishra straight to square leg but had done his part in the rousing start.

Valthaty though continued and for a brief moment looked as if he could indeed make a second consecutive T20 hundred. But it was not to be. His stellar innings of 75 runs off 47 balls, with eight fours and five sixes, ended when he holed out lazily to long-on. That was the 16th over and the score read 151 for two.

There could have been hiccups towards the end if Deccan had managed some quick wickets but Abhishek Nayar and Dinesh Karthik spoiled all those plans, romping home with 14 balls to spare.

Earlier, Valthaty stole the show with a dazzling display with the ball as well. After losing Sunny Sohal early, Deccan made steady progress with Kumar Sangakkara and Shikhar Dhawan adding 75 runs for the second wicket.
But Piyush Chawla and Valthaty combined very well in the middle overs for Punjab as they pegged the Chargers back with a quick double blow. Sangakkara (35 runs off 28 balls) and Dhawan (45 runs off 36 balls) fell within three runs off each other and it disrupted the middle order momentum.
Ryan McLaren added to their woes with two wickets but it really was Valthaty’s day. He added JP Duminy’s wicket to Dhawan’s and then struck twice more, finishing with 4 for 29 from his four overs. Deccan made 165 for eight in their allotted overs, a total that seemed about twenty runs short of comfort.