Last over blitz floors KKR

A captain's blunder in the final over proved decisive as Kolkata slipped to a six-wicket loss to the Deccan Chargers.

With the Chargers needing 21 runs from the final over, skipper Brendon McCullum only had three fielders inside the circle for the first delivery instead of the mandatory four.

It was no-balled by the umpires and also hammered away for a four by Rohit Sharma.

The bowler, Mashrafe Mortaza, who was playing his first game of the season, then went on to concede 21 more runs, mainly to the bat of Sharma as Deccan sealed the victory with a final-ball six.

Brad Hodge (48) and David Hussey (43) had earlier helped their side set a target of 161 for victory, but Kolkata, who have won just one game in the competition so far, showed their lack of confidence by reaching the midway point in their innings at 50 for one.

During that time, McCullum and Sourav Ganguly shared an opening 27-run stand before the former - dropped an over earlier by Herschelle Gibbs at point - top-edged Ryan Harris to Tirumalsetti Suman at square leg for 20.

Hodge and Ganguly did manage to put on 58 for the next wicket but they took more than 10 overs.

Sharma was the bowler to end the stand with the former India skipper lofting a straightforward catch to Harris at long-off for 33 from 41 balls.

Hodge continued to attack, taking his side past the 100-run mark, before he too went - Harris ending his fellow Australian's 41-ball stay when he had him caught by Harmeet Singh at mid-wicket.

But Hussey made the most of the 19th over that saw RP Singh bowl just three balls after which he had to be replaced for bowling two no-balls over the waist.

Hussey blasted 28 runs - making it the most expensive in the competition - as the Knight Riders reached 160 for five.

In response, Gilchrist and Gibbs mixed attack with defence as they put on 68 for the first wicket to set Deccan a solid platform.

However, just as the game looked to be running completely away from Kolkata, Hodge removed his countryman for 43, caught by Laxmi Shukla at deep square leg, followed by Gibbs (28) pulling Murali Kartik straight to Hussey at deep midwicket.

Suman (31) and Andrew Symonds (18) then left their side in even further trouble when they were needlessly run out with 34 runs still required in the final three overs.

Only 13 were conceded in the 18th and 19th overs, but Mortaza was poor in the final one as Sharma put him to the sword ending on 32 not out from just 13 balls to lift Deccan to third on the table.

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