Pune: Deccan Chargers captain Kumar Sangakkara was a relieved man after his team registered its first win in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League here last night.
Deccan suffered five consecutive defeats before opening their tally with one point from the wash out game against Kolkata Knight Riders.
But the Hyderabad outfit finally managed to pull off a win in the tournament when they defeated Pune Warriors by 18 runs at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium last night.
Deccan Chargers players celebrate their victory over Pune Warriors in the IPL 5 match on Thursday. Shashank Parade/PTI
“Finally on the board, a great effort, especially by Cameron White with the bat,” a relieved Sangakkara said at the post-match presentation.
“We played Rusty for a purpose and he was outstanding. And young Ashish Reddy played well,” he added praising his players, especially White for his 46-ball 78-run knock.
Pune captain Sourav Ganguly said his bowlers gave away 15-20 runs extra that had cost them the match. “As I said at the toss I would have fielded, we gave away 15-20 runs extra. We did not have partnerships, someone needed to carry on,” a dejected Ganguly said after back-to-back loses.
White, who was adjudged Man-of-the-Match for his whirlwind half century, hoped the win would mark a new beginning for Deccan in the tournament.
“It’s a good feeling to get a win, been under pressure as a team. Hopefully it’s the start of a few wins in a row,” he said.
PTI
