Chaminda Vaas (3/21) ripped apart the Chennai Super Kings' top-order after Andrew Symonds and Herschelle Gibbs sparkled with the bat as Deccan Chargers beat the hosts by 31 runs to score their first win in the Indian Premier League in Chennai on Sunday
Symonds (50) and Gibbs (45) weaved together a crucial 95-run partnership for the third wicket to lift Chargers to a handsome 190 for four.
Skipper Adam Gilchrist (38), at the top, and Rohit Sharma (19), down the order, also contributed in decorating Deccan innings after electing to bat.
The defending champions then restricted Chennai for 159 for nine at M A Chidmabaram stadium.
Skipper MS Dhoni (42) and Albie Morkel (42) were joint top scorers for the hosts.
Chennai never recovered from the early blows landed on them by Vaas, who yet again gave his side a super start by ripping through hosts top order.
Pragyan Ojha (2/28) and Symonds (2/29) took two wickets apiece as their contribution in team's win.
The Sri Lanka paceman dismissed Murali Vijay (3) and Suresh Raina (6) in his second over and returned to get rid of dangerous Matthew Hayden (17).
They had hardly settled that Ojha sent back S Badrinath (5) to leave Chennai innings in tatters at 32 for our.
Kemp (22) and Dhoni had an enormous task at hand but all they could manage was a 38-run stand.
As the asking rate was touching sky, Kemp stepped out and lifted Ojha for a huge long-off six to break shackles but it was left-arm spinner who had the last laugh as two balls later he foxed the big hitter and had him stumped.
Dhoni had Morkel as his new partner and they were left with no option but to got for the kill.
However, Deccan spinners bowled magnificently and did not let the two big hitters do much damage.
Symonds clean bowled Dhoni to make the task all the more difficult for Chennai. Although Morkel came up with some lusty blows in his unbeaten knock but that proved insufficient. Earlier, Symonds, who scored his second IPL fifty, and Gibbs joined forced after Deccan had lost two quick wickets, albeit after a fiery start.
The two batsman dug in and placed the defending champions to a position from their bowlers could fight well.
Both Symomds and Gibbs were run out in the fag end but Rohit together with T Suman (10) finished the innings splendidly, taking 22 runs from the last over.
Sudeep Tyagi bowled the first five balls of the 20th over and was taken off the attack after bowling a beamer to Sharma. Kemp completed the over.
Symonds' 50-run knock came off 43 balls with three sixes and an equal number of boundaries while Gibbs took 36 balls for his 45 with the help of five fours and one six. PTI
