Calm Rohit outdoes Jayawardene beauty

Deccan Chargers 178 for 5 (Rohit 68*, Suman 43) beat Kings XI Punjab 174 for 3 (Jayawardene 93*, Sangakkara 52) by five wickets

Rohit Sharma avoided a repeat of the choke against Rajasthan Royals, and Deccan Chargers bit another bullet on route to a fourth consecutive win, one that gave them an even chance in the semi-final race. Deccan's bowlers did plenty to lose this one, but a graceful yet lethal 68 off 38 balls from Rohit took them home. Apart from the falling wickets, Rohit had to make up for another ordinary finish by Deccan's bowlers: 76 runs off the last five overs, during which time Mahela Jayawardene scored 57 off 18.

Put in on a difficult pitch, Kings XI Punjab were 98 after 15 overs, Deccan reached 98 in 11. Deccan bowled tripe in the last five to reconfirm their reputation of being worst at the death, and their batsmen kept getting out regularly to bowling that was not extraordinary.

That they reached 98 in 11 overs was thanks to some clean golf-like swinging from T Suman and Rohit who swung the momentum Deccan's way. After Adam Gilchrist failed to last the Powerplay yet again, both Suman and Monish Mishra struggled against short deliveries on a tricky pitch.

It was a dry surface covered by grass from a good-length area at one end to just short of a length at the other. Anything pitched in the grassy area got extra bounce and seam movement. Punjab's inexperienced attack took advantage of that, but every time they pitched up Suman effortlessly lofted them out of the ground. When Suman did get out in the 14th over, with 55 required off 41, Deccan were favourites. Especially with Rohit, who had reached 40 off 22 without having moved a bone in a hurry.

In the next over, though, Andrew Symonds went to manufacture a cut against Juan Theron and was bowled. Two tight overs followed, and Deccan were in familiar territory: 29 runs from 18 balls, Rohit in the middle and the Rajasthan choke fresh in everyone's memory.