Deccan Chargers surrendered the last perfect Indian Premier League record this season after a six-wicket loss to Delhi Daredevils Thursday.
Deccan Chargers surrendered the last perfect Indian Premier League record this season after a six-wicket loss to Delhi Daredevils Thursday.
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The result left the teams sharing first place in the Twenty20 extravaganza with four victories each from five matches and the Adam Gilchrist-led Chargers ahead on net run rate.
It was a tense, low-scoring affair on a lovely autumn day at Centurion Park and as the game slipped from Deccan, Australian Gilchrist and West Indian Fidel Edwards were angered by several umpiring decisions.
Deccan are a transformed team after finishing bottom of the eight-team standings last season, but batsman-cum-wicketkeeper Gilchrist conceded his outfit fell about 20 runs short when compiling 148-9 in 20 overs.
Australian Dirk Nannes played a key role in keeping Chargers in check, snatching the wickets of Gilchrist (8) and South African Herschelle Gibbs (0) and conceding just 16 runs in four overs of bounce, pace and swing.
West Indian Dwayne Smith was the only Deccan batsmen to get on top of the Daredevils attack, hitting 48 off 28 balls, including two sixes and five fours.
Skipper Virender Sehwag, who opted to open after having five stitches inserted in a fielding-induced finger injury, got the Delhi innings off to a good start with a boundary-laced 20 before his fourth-over departure.
Local boy AB de Villiers failed for once, making just five before joining his captain in the pavilion and the exit of opener Gautam Gambhir left Daredevils 49-3 seven overs into their response.
Although the runs came slowly, Delhi did not lose another wicket until the 18th over and Sri Lankan Tim Dilshan smashed the winning runs with eight balls to spare and finished unbeaten on 52 and top scorer.
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