12th Match, Group A: Deccan v Trinidad & Tobago at Hyderabad (Decc) - - Deccan Out From The Tournament As T&T Won A Thriller With 3 Runs

Trinidad & Tobago 149 for 7 (Perkins 38, Pollard 31, Edwards 3-32) beat Deccan Chargers 146 for 9 (Gilchrist 51, Bravo 3-24) by three runs

They've tried nine times but Deccan Chargers have not managed a win in Hyderabad. This latest defeat, by a thrilling three-run margin to Trinidad & Tobago, had serious consequences though, as Deccan became the only IPL side - they were the champions - to crash out in the first round of the Champions League after losing both their Group A matches. T&T, on the other hand, were unexpected winners of the group and will carry forward two points into the second round by virtue of their win against co-qualifiers Somerset.

Neither team took firm control at any stage, for both outfits were haphazard in their disciplines, but T&T lifted at the right moments to prevail in a tense finish. Their batsmen entertained throughout, playing a shot a minute, but didn't hang around long enough to cause significant damage - scoring only 149 for 7 on a terrific batting surface. Their bowlers took crucial early wickets but began to wilt under Adam Gilchrist's flashing bat and, when they fought back to inch closer to victory, Venugopal Rao threatened to snatch it away from them. With only eight runs to defend off the final over, Daren Ganga gave the responsibility to Dwayne Bravo and T&T's most experienced player delivered.

The whole match had a feeling of unpredictability to it; the performances were neither clinical nor efficient. Deccan aided T&T's quick start, bowling poor lines and conceding an inexcusable number of extras. The batsmen flayed their bats disregarding the quality of deliveries. Edges flew for fours, balls were scooped into helmets, overthrows went to the boundary and dropped catches resulted in wickets. There was a freaky lbw, a fluke stumping and a batsman struck on the neck by a bouncer. In the midst of all the madness, William Perkins top-scored with 38, Keiron Pollard blasted 31 off 14 balls, and fiery Fidel Edwards finished with 3 for 32.

Edwards was charged up for this contest because he had been barred against Somerset for bowling two beamers. He had words for T&T's openers and then sent down a fast, if not always well-directed, first over. Perkins tried to flick one of those speedy deliveries but the leading edge bounced just once before going over the point boundary. The first delivery Edwards aimed at middle stump brought him a wicket - Lendl Simmons played across and was lbw.

RP Singh then bowled a shocker. He had drifted down leg often in his first over and bowled a hat-trick of front-foot no-balls in his second. Darren Bravo missed the first two free-hits but pulled the third over midwicket for four. RP then delivered a wide outside off stump but the worst was yet to come. An overthrow off the last ball cost Deccan five leg byes and Gilchrist's disgust was plain to see.

T&T raced to 49 for 1 after five overs and Gilchrist brought a fourth bowler into the attack. Darren Bravo welcomed T Suman with a leg-glanced boundary but then smacked one straight back to him. A ball later Andrew Symonds' direct hit caught Daren Ganga short at the bowler's end. Perkins, though, batted without restraint, pulling Pragyan Ojha to the midwicket fence, lofting Symonds over cover, and playing a scoop on to the grill of his helmet, before moving across his stumps and falling lbw to Edwards.

They were 92 for 4 after 13 - the run-rate was alright but the wickets weren't - when Dwayne Bravo cut hard to Suman at point. The catch was spilled but Suman recovered and ran out Bravo. The dismissal brought Pollard into play and he tore into the spinners. Ojha disappeared to the long-off and midwicket boundaries and Suman watched two full balls sail over his head. Edwards suffered too - Pollard pulling him for a flat six - before recovering to uproot the leg stump.

T&T's innings lost steam thereafter. Ramdin had fallen to a lucky stumping off Symonds, when Gilchrist failed to collect, but the ball bounced off his gloves on to the stumps. The tailenders could not cope with the death bowling - Dave Mohammed took an RP Singh bouncer on his neck - and they settled for 149.

Determined to end the home-ground jinx, Gilchrist kick-started the chase with an uppercut for six and an edge for four to take 11 off the first over. T&T fought back by striking regularly and at 30 for 3, with Symonds run out, Deccan's chase was coming apart. Their captain, however, continued to charge - driving, hooking and playing his devastating pick-up shot over midwicket with success. Gilchrist raced to 50 off 31 balls and Ganga, realising his spinners were having little effect on this pitch, turned to Lendl Simmons. He struck immediately when Gilchrist pulled to deep midwicket and Pollard ran to his left to intercept the speeding ball.

Gilchrist's dismissal was followed by Rohit Sharma's and, with 64 needed off 47, T&T were back on top. Rao redressed the balance by clearing the straight boundary twice and hitting fours whenever the pressure started to mount. Deccan needed only 13 off 13 balls when Rao edged Rampaul to Denesh Ramdin. The match once again swung T&T's way, for the final time, and Bravo's final over ended Deccan's run in the tournament.