White smashed a strokeful 78 off just 46 balls and together with JP Duminy (26 not out) added crucial 75 runs for the fifth wicket to take Deccan to the competitive total.
Right-arm pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/33), Marlon Samuels (1/39) and Rahul Sharma (1/39) shared three wickets between them while the other fell in the form of run out.
Opting to bat, openers Parthiv Patel (24) and Shikhar Dhawan (16) ensured a quick start to Deccan innings, smashing Ashish Nehra for three fours to pick up 16 runs off the first over.
They duo stitched 39 runs off four overs for the opening stand before losing Dhawan.
Deccan received another blow 11 runs later when Patel was caught by Mithun Manhas at deep square-leg off Kumar.
White and skipper Kumar Sangakkara shared 33 runs for the fourth wicket before the later was cleaned up by Sharma.
White, however, seemed in ominous form as he went about his business in style, notching up his first half century of the tournament in just 35 balls with the help of five boundaries and two huge sixes.
In Duminy, White got an able partner as the duo added massive 75 runs off just 38 deliveries for the fifth wicket to help Deccan post a decent total on the board.
White was the aggressor among the two and clobbered Sharma for a four and two consecutive sixes to pick up 19 runs off the 16th over.
After settling down, it was Duminy's turn to open up his arms and he did that perfectly, hitting Samules straight back over his head for a towering six.
But a ball later, Samuels got the prized scalp of White, caught by Alfonso Thomas at deep cover boundary as the batsman went for another huge one.
Ishant Jaggi remained unbeaten 10 along with Duminy. PTI SSC
