Sangakkara -- who wasn't exactly in his element-- roared back into form with a brilliant 82 off 52 balls studded with 10 boundaries and two sixes.
His partnership of 157 for the third wicket with Cameron White (74; 45b, 4x4 4x6) which is incidentally highest 3rd wicket stand in the history of IPL, ensured that home team put on a massive total.
Having managed only 91 in 14 overs, Sangakkara and White bludgeoned Pune bowlers to score 95 runs in the last six overs. The key was 18th and 19th over where Sangakkara and White took 25 runs each to consolidate. It was 40-year-old Pune skipper Sourav Ganguly who was clobbered for 25 runs and it changed the complexion of the innings.
Opting to bat after winning the toss, Deccan Chargers did not have a good beginning to their innings as Marlon Samuels accounted for Parthiv Patel's wicket with the very first ball of the match.
Wayne Parnell then followed it up with a maiden over to give the visitors an ideal start.
Things got even worse for the hosts when Bhuvneshwar Kumar sent back Shikhar Dhawan (13) after he had started to show some spark, having hit Samuels for a couple of fours.
The Chargers would have been three down in the very next over, had wicketkeeper Robin Uthappa taken an easy catch off Parnell to see off Cameron White, who had hit a match-winning 46-ball 78 in the previous game against the same opponents.
But luck favoured the hosts and determined to capitalise on the life he got, White along with Sangakkara went on to play a cautious innings, reaching 58 for two after 10 overs. PTI CM KHS
CM
