Sharma's late heroics hands Kolkata ninth successive loss

Deccan Chargers scored 26 runs off the last over to beat the hapless Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets in another Indian Premier League cliffhanger on Saturday.

Kolkata looked like finally earning its second win in 12 matches when Deccan needed 21 to win off the last over at Wanderers.

Mashrafe Mortaza – playing his first IPL game - was entrusted with the job of bowling the final over of the game. Rohit Sharma started with a boundary off a no ball because Kolkata didn't have enough fielders in the circle. That was followed by a leg bye, a single and a six by Sharma over midwicket off the official third ball, leaving Deccan to score eight off three balls.

Mortaza then bowled a wide. With seven needed off three balls, Sharma scored two and then hit a boundary through covers. One was needed off the last ball for the victory and Sharma pulled it over fine leg for a six to pull off what looked like an improbable victory before the high-octane final over.

"I thought we'd blown away another one," Deccan captain Adam Gilchrist said. "But Rohit was fantastic out there today."

Deccan, rising to third in the standings, made 166-4 after last-placed Kolkata notched 160-5.

Sharma, named Man of the Match, hit 32 off 13 balls with two sixes and three fours. He was helped at the other end by Venugopal Rao, who ran well between the wickets for his 7 not out.

Deccan made a flying start with Gilchrist top-scoring with 43 and putting on a solid 68-run stand with Herschelle Gibbs - who posted 28.

Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, who enticed Gibbs to hole out to deep midwicket, was the pick of the Kolkata attack with 1-12.

Tirumalsetti Suman added 31 before he was run out by a combination of Ajit Agarkar and Brad Hodge in the 17th over.

Pressure intensified on Deccan when Andrew Symonds, on 18, was run out off a no-ball by Mortaza to leave Deccan on 128-4 in the 18th over.

But Sharma and Rao engineered the escape to boost Deccan's chances of making next week's semifinals.

Earlier Brad Hodge top-scored with 48 and David Hussey added a quick-fire 43 from 17 balls to guide Kolkata to 160-5. Hodge hit five boundaries in 41 balls while his Australian teammate blasted two boundaries and four sixes.

Medium pacer Ryan Harris took 2-20 for Deccan.