DHARAMSALA, Apr 16 (PTI): Rohit Sharma's breezy unbeaten 68 overshadowed Mahela Jayawardene's sparkling knock as defending champions Deccan Chargers pipped Kings XI Punjab by five wickets to keep alive their semifinal hopes in the Indian Premier League here tonight.
Chasing a 175-run victory target, the Chargers fumbled and faltered but Rohit stayed till the end to guide the side to 178 for five in 19.1 overs.
Rohit's eighth IPL fifty was the cornerstone of Deccan Chargers' win as the defending champions recorded their seventh victory in 13 matches to jump to the fourth place in the points table.
Rohit's unbeaten 38-ball knock included six fours and three sixes.
Earlier, Mahela Jayawardene (93 not out) starred in two identical 86-run stands with skipper Kumar Sangakkara (52 of 37 balls) and Yuvraj Singh (20) to power Kings XI Punjab to 174 for three.
