Kings XI snatch 1-run win from Chargers

Johannesburg:

Yuvraj Singh's sensational second hat-trick of the tournament coupled with Irfan Pathan's twin blow in the last over handed Kings XI Punjab a one-run win against Deccan Chargers in an Indian Premier League thriller to keep their semifinal hopes alive.

Put into bat, Punjab scored a modest 134 for seven, built largely around Kumar Sangakkara's 43-ball 56, and then rode on Yuvraj's hat-trick to restrict Hyderabad to 133 for eight.

Deccan, though, looked like to have run away with the match with Rohit Sharma hitting a quickfire 26-ball 42 and his side needing just four runs from five balls before he was out in the third ball of the last over.

RP Singh and Jaskaran Singh could score just two runs to give Kings XI a one-run victory.

Earlier, Yuvraj came to his team's rescue when Deccan was cruising towards the modest target of 135 with 65 for two wickets after 10 overs.

Opener Herchelle Gibbs departed in the last delivery of the first over after the strategy break off Yuvraj as the South African's powerful cut found Piyush Chawla at backward point who pouched a sharp catch.

Yuvraj sizzled again in his next over sending dangerous looking Andrew Symonds (25 off 25) packing as wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara first fumbled with the ball but finished it up with a brilliant stumping.

Yuvraj's very next delivery then disturbed Venugopal Rao's (0) stumps as the left-arm spinner completed his second hat-trick in the Twenty20 event, with the first one coming against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Earlier, Punjab got off to a disastrous start losing three early wickets in Sunny Sohal (9), Luke Pomerbsach (1) and Australian Simon Katich (11) within first five overs.

Sohal started on an attacking note by cracking a sixer in the first over off paceman Ryan Harris, but fell prey to RP Singh in the next over as his another ambitious shot found Rohit at fine-leg.

Katich, looking dangerous after hitting two fours, only complicated things for Punjab when he offered an easy catch to Pragyan Ojha off Andrew Symonds, leaving the team struggling at 26 for 3.

Yuvraj (20 off 18) then paired up with Sri Lankan wicket-keeper batsman Sangakkara (56 off 43) to mark a short recovery before Rao cleaned bowled the Punjab skipper.

Punjab batsmen found it hard to score runs against a disciplined Deccan bowling attack that maintained a stifling line and length.

Sangakkara, who struck five fours and a six in his quickfire 56-run innings, stitched a crucial 53-run partnership with Wilkin Mota (12) to guide Punjab to a descent score of 134.

For Deccan left-arm paceman RP Singh (3-26) was the best bowler of the day, picking up three wickets for 26 runs, including that of dangerman Sangakkara.

Chasing the modest target of 135, Gilchrist started on a sizzling note, cracking three boundaries and lofty hit the fence to pick up 18 runs off Irfan Pathan's second and innings' fourth over.

With Gilchrist (23) and Gibbs going great runs, Yuvraj was forced to introduce Ramesh Powar into the attack in the fifth over and the strategy immediately yielding result with the off-spinner inflicting twin blows in consecutive deliveries.

Gilchrist was the first to depart stumped by Sangakkara off Powar and Tirumalsetti Suman followed suit (0) without troubling the scorers to see Deccan reel at 34 for two.

Gibbs (26) then joined hands with Symonds to keep the scoreboard ticking and take the Hyderabad outfit to 65 for two at the halfway mark.