Kings XI face Deccan Chargers, look to book play-off berth

Mohali, May 12 (IANS) Kings XI Punjab, who will face bottom placed Deccan Chargers in their Indian Premier League (IPL) game here Sunday, will look to secure a win to better their prospects of qualification for the playoffs.

Having defeated Deccan Chargers by 25 runs Tuesday, Kings XI Punjab have the extra edge going into the match.

Winning three of their previous four games, the Kings XI have found the right synergy in their batting and bowling departments. David Hussey who took the reins of captaincy from the injured Adam Gilchrist reverted the losing streak with some inspiring performances.

Opener Mandeep Singh's (359 runs from 12 games) consistency in run scoring at the top with added support from Shaun Marsh (312 from 11) and Hussey (279 from 12) later on proved vital for the team in posting runs on the board.

Former Pakistan international Azhar Mahamood's (eight wickets from seven games) inclusion in the team in the later part of the tournament proved advantageous as the all-rounder has put in some crucial performances.

Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla (15 wickets from 12) and medium-pacer Parvinder Awana(11 from 8) have chipped in with wickets at key intervals.

With a feeble bowling attack, Deccan Chargers never seemed a challenge in the tournament.

Piling up runs and never being able to defend them has been the case and cause for Deccan's dismal position in the table.

Barring Dayle Steyn, (11 from nine), the likes of Amit Mishra (eight from 11), Veer Pratap Singh (seven from seven) and Ashish Reddy (seven from six) lacked the killer punch and have proved costly in the death overs.

With the only batting performances coming from Shikhar Dhawan (467 runs from 12 games) and Cameron White (410 from 10) Deccan needs to rebuild their team for the next edition.

Having 12 points from 12 games, its King XI's best chance to cash in with a win against Deccan Chargers and find themselves in a favourable position to qualify with four games to go.