Chipli powers Hyderabad to first victory of the season

Bharat Chipli

HYDERABAD, India, (Reuters) – Bharat Chipli smashed  an unbeaten 61 off 35 balls to power Deccan Chargers to their  first victory in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League  (IPL) yesterday.

Bharat Chipli

The Hyderabad outfit posted a daunting 175 for five after  being asked to bat by Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Daniel  Vettori and then restricted their opponents to 142 for nine to  win by 33 runs.

Chipli made merry with five boundaries and three sixes after  captain Kumar Sangakkara (36) and opener Sunny Sohal (38) laid  the foundation with a 50-run stand for the second wicket.

The 28-year-old added 55 runs for the fourth with South  African JP Duminy (22), who celebrated his 27th birthday on  Thursday, as the Chargers added 61 runs in the last five overs.

In reply, the Bangalore side got off to a poor start and  were reduced to 56 for five on a pitch that had a bit of pace  and bounce for the seamers.

Virat Kohli, part of India’s World Cup winning team, waged a  lone battle with a 51-ball 71 but it was not enough for the  Royal Challengers against fiery pace bowling from Dale Steyn and  Manpreet Gony, who picked up three wickets apiece.

South African Steyn was adjudged the player of the match for  his three for 24 as the Chargers pace battery claimed eight of  the nine wickets that fell.

The win catapulted the Hyderabad side to fourth on the  10-team table while the Royal Challengers Bangalore dropped to  seventh spot.