This was a game that the Deccan Chargers lost, rather than one which the Punjab Kings XI won.  

A limp batting display, other than some lusty big hitting from Rohit Sharma, meant that the Punjab Kings XI were never put under serious pressure, and they made their chasing of the 164 target look easy. 

Were Deccan able to put together an extra 20 runs, things might have looked very different...

IPL Match Report
Date                                 : 1/5/2008
Teams (Home first)             : Deccan Chargers vs Punjab Kings XI
Result                               : Punjab won, 7 wickets
Toss Won                          : Punjab, chose to field
Top Bat Home                    : Sharma, 76* 
Top Bat Away                     : Marsh, 85*
Highest first 6 over score      : Dec 50, Pun 41
Highest Opening Partnership : Dec 27, Pun 41
Total sixes hit                     : Dec 3, Pun 2
Total wides                         : Pun bowled 2, Dec bowled 4
Total run outs                     : 2

Lineups / Scorecard

Deccan Chargers
A. Gilchrist           b Pathan  6                   (6b)
V. Laxman           c Y Singh    b Chawla  48 (34b)
H. Gibbs              c Goel        b Chawla    7 (9b)
R. Sharma           not out       76 (42b)
S. Afridi              c Y Singh     b G Singh 13 (7b)
V. Rao                run out                       1 (2b)
S. Bangar            c Sreesanth   c Chawla  3 (8b)
N. Zoysa             b Sreesanth                  1 (2b)
D. Kalyankrishna   c Marsh       b Pathan     3 (8b)
R. Singh              not out                        2 (2b)
P. Ohja
Total                  (8 wickets, 20 overs)        164

Punjab
S. Marsh            not out                   85 (62b)
R. Sarwan         run out                    15 (15b)
K. Sangakarra     c Sharma   b K’Krishna  4 (4b)
Y. Singh            c and        b Zoysa     14 (9b)
M. Jayawardene  not out                    45 (23b)
K. Goel
I. Pathan
P. Chawla
S. Sreesanth
V. Singh
G. Singh
Total                (3 wickets, 18.5 overs)        167

Deccan Chargers put together a pretty woeful effort overall, losing wickets on an ongoing basis.  With Symonds on his way to the Australian tour of West Indies and South African Herschelle Gibbs standing in, it was important for the rest of the team to play with a fraction more composure while Gibbs got used to the nature of the competition.  They didn’t...