Ganguly wins it for KKR

Ganguly pilots Kolkata Knight Riders to a 24-run win over the Deccan Chargers

Match Report: Match-30: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Deccan Chargers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, 1st April, 2010

Kolkata, April 1: Skipper Sourav Ganguly returned to form in style to pilot the Kolkata Knight Riders to a 24-run win over Deccan Chargers Hyderabad in Match 30 of the IPL 2010 at Eden Gardens here on Thursday night. The left-handed opener and captain blasted a 54-ball 88 (9x4, 5x6) to turn back the clock. As he helped his team the Kolkata Knight Riders gallop to 181/6.

Ganguly was particularly severe on left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, hitting him for four sixes. Deccan Chargers, in reply, ended up 157/5 in 20 overs. It was the Kolkata Knight Riders’ fourth win of the tournament and the first after losing three matches in a row. They have 8 points from eight matches. The nightmare continued for holders Deccan Chargers, who slumped to their fourth defeat from seven matches.

Winning the toss, Kolkata Knight Riders chose to bat. But they had a bad start. The home side lost Chris Gayle (4) and Cheteshwar Pujara (17), both falling to Andrew Symonds, who with clever a change of pace managed to deceive the batsmen. Ojha dismissed Manoj Tiwary at 64 when the batsman played a premeditated sweep to be bowled. However, the advent of Australian all-rounder David Hussey saw the Kolkata Knight Riders piling on the runs with some sensible batting.

Ganguly reached his second 50 of this season in 39 balls. Kolkata Knight Riders were 116/3 in 15 overs. However, in the 17th over, bowled by Ojha, the Deccan Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist missed an easy stumping with Hussey yards out of the crease. The over turned out to be an eventful one as Ganguly hoisted Ojha for three sixes before being caught off the last delivery. But by then that over had already cost the Deccan Charger as many as 21 runs.

Hussey and Ganguly added 78 runs for the fourth wicket in 8.3 overs. Deccan Chargers Hyderabad, like in the last match, conceded 67 runs in five overs. Hussey made an important contribution of 27-ball 31. Medium-pacer Jaskaran Singh scalped Hussey and Angelo Mathews in one over, to end the night with figures of 2/18. Symonds was economical. But West Indian fast bowler Kemar Roach disappointed. He was expensive (0/48) while Ojha returned with figures of 2/38.

Surprisingly, for the second successive match, Sri Lanka left arm seamer Chaminda Vaas, the leading wicket-taker for Deccan Chargers, was left out and instead Roach retained in his place. Also to be dropped was left-arm seamer RP Singh and Harmeet played his first match of the season. For Kolkata Knight Riders, New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond returned to the side after being sidelined because of injury in the previous match.

When Deccan Chargers Hyderabad began the chase, skipper Adam Gilchrist, who opened with Herschelle Gibbs (5x4, 1x6), was back in the pavilion in the third over. The Aussie left-hander continued his poor form with the bat as he was held at deep mid-wicket for 9. Mohnish Mishra made a 16-ball 29 before Ajit Agarkar scalped his wicket. The big-hitting Symonds, dropped when on 6, and Gibbs took the score from 77/2 to 121/3 in 14.2 overs.

Gibbs brought up his first 50 of the season but was out to the same score. Bond had Gibbs caught at long off and left-arm spinner Murali Kartik bowled Rohit Sharma to put Deccan Chargers Hyderabad in a tight spot. Symonds 37-ball 45 that went in vain as Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers bowled exceptionally well, particularly Mathews and Kartik.