Deccan Chargers failed to change the script at its home venue - losing yet another match - as Trinidad & Tobago carved out a magnificent, come-from-behind, three-run victory to knock the IPL-2 champion out of the Champions League Twenty20 at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Wednesday night.
For Chargers, the venue continued to be jinxed as it suffered its ninth straight loss - it has yet to win a game here so far - despite late fireworks from Y. Venugopala Rao (30, 19 balls, 2x4, 2x6), who came to the crease at 86 for five in the 13th over.
Trinidad & Tobago and Somerset Sabres now have qualified for the Super Eight from Group 'A'.
With eight runs needed off the last over from Dwayne Bravo, Tirumalasetty Suman took a single to give the strike to R.P. Singh who picked up a brace, then faced a dot ball before being bowled.
Then Fidel Edwards was run out by Bravo on his follow-through. This left Suman with the task of scoring five runs off the last ball but managed only to hit it to long-off for a single.
That Chargers lost even after captain Adam Gilchrist (51, 36 balls, 6x4, 2x6) combined brute power and grace was all the more disappointing.
The start was dismal for Chargers as Dwayne Bravo trapped V.V.S. Laxman in front and then forced Abhinav Kumar to snick an away swinger to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin. Then, Andrew Symonds was needlessly run out.
Erratic Edwards
Earlier, when Trinidad & Tobago was put in to bat, Fidel Edwards was erratic despite trapping opener Lendl Simmons plumb in front in his second over. Even R.P. Singh was off-colour to start with.
Off-spinner Suman responded in style, luring Darren Bravo in his very first over to drive straight back to him. Two balls later in the same over, Trinidad captain Darren Ganga was stranded trying to take a single as Symonds from mid-off threw down the stumps at the non-striker's end.
Perkins had a torrid time against Edwards but hung on. He was lucky to see Venugopala Rao drop a skier at deep square-leg after the batsman swung left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha when on 34 (78 for three in 10.4 overs).
He perished soon after (38, 32 balls, 6x4) trapped leg before to Fidel Edwards.
The big-hitting Kieron Pollard (31, 14 balls, 1x4, 4x6) provided the fireworks hitting Ojha for a six over long-off and then Suman for two more into the stands.
He even pulled Edwards nonchalantly for a big six only to see the bowler york him off the next ball at express pace in the 18th over.
