Gibbs guides Deccan to fourth successive win

The Deccan Chargers won their fourth straight Indian Premier League match, beating the Chennai Super Kings by six wickets on Monday after Herschelle Gibbs hit 69 not out.

Deccan won with three balls to spare at Kingsmead, ending on 169-4 in reply to Chennai's 165-5, to top the standings with eight points from four games. Chennai stayed on three points from five matches.

Gibbs played a flawless innings, hitting six boundaries and two sixes in 56 balls and sharing a 67-run opening stand with Adam Gilchrist, who belted 44 runs off only 16 balls.

"For us to get home in a tight one helps build character," Gilchrist said.

Gilchrist, in particular, attacked Chennai's new-ball pair of Lakshmipathy Balaji and Manpreet Gony. The former Australia wicketkeeper was dismissed in the sixth over after being deceived by off-spinner Suresh Raina's change of pace to be caught by Muttiah Muralidaran at third man.

Deccan dropped to 75-2 when VVS Laxman on 4 was beaten by Raina's extra bounce and was caught by Jacob Oram at mid on. Raina was the most successful bowler with 2-18.

Rohit Sharma on 18 edged a ball from Balaji to be caught by wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The other wicket to fall was West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Smith, trapped plumb lbw on 12 by Muralidaran.

Dhoni blamed his bowlers.

"The bowlers let us down," he said. "We need to come up with new ideas; maybe a new combination."

Earlier, Matthew Hayden hit 49 and Jacob Oram 41 not out for Chennai.

Hayden hammered eight boundaries in 35 balls and put on 64 for the second wicket with Raina (25) after Parthiv Patel was out on the second ball of the innings.

Oram collected four boundaries and two sixes in 29 balls, smashing 20 runs off one over by Shoaib Ahmed.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha took 2-11 from two overs, removing Hayden and Dhoni for 22.

Suresh Raina was out when Sharma took a return catch in the seventh over, while Dhoni fell six overs later to leave Chennai on 102-3.

One run later, Pragyan struck again with the wicket of Hayden, who was caught by Sharma attempting to hit over midwicket.

Albie Morkel smashed a six in the 17th over but tried the same shot next ball and was caught by RP Singh off Venugopal Rao.