The Kolkata Knight Riders lost yet another Indian Premier League match, this time a last-ball thriller against the Deccan Chargers on Saturday. Needing 21 off the last over, Rohit Sharma hit a brilliant last-ball six to see the Chargers home.

Set a competitive 161 to win, the Chargers lost way in the middle after captain Adam Gilchrist gave them a rollicking start. Andrew Symonds’ run-out in the 18th over by Mashrafe Mortaza’s direct hit almost sealed the Chargers’ fate. But then, lady luck has surely left the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise as the Chargers won by six wickets.

The final over saw Mortaza’s first delivery no-balled — for having a fielder less in the circle — and then the Bangladesh all-rounder, who made his IPL debut on Saturday, also dished out a wide. He went for 26 runs in his final over, 58 from his four, and was hit for two sixes and a boundary by Rohit (13-ball 32, 3x4, 2x6). The no-ball decision didn’t amuse the Knight Riders captain Brendon McCullum, leading to a heated argument with the umpires.

Gilchrist’s 31-ball 43 (5x4, 2x6) gave the Chargers a rollicking start. The 38-year old Gilchrist, with Herschelle Gibbs (28 off 34 balls) for company, knocked off 50 in the first six overs of Powerplay.

He drove, cut and flicked the faster bowlers with elan. He picked up Mortaza for some special treatment and took him for 26 from his two overs.

But Brendon McCullum’s smart move to introduce the slower bowlers pegged him back. The lack of pace made him go for a wild slog sweep off Brad Hodge but only managed to top-edge to substitute Laxmi Ratan Shukla at square leg.

Gibbs followed Gilchrist into the dugout, trying to hit Murali Kartik out of the ground. Kartik was at his best Saturday and conceded only 12 runs in his four overs. He was not afraid to give the ball air and extracted a lot of purchase off the pitch.

T. Suman, who walked out at the fall of Gilchrist, contributed a useful 31 off 24 balls. He was run out while attempting to steal a second run.

Earlier, Australian David Hussey (43 off 17 balls) played a gem of a knock to take his team to the coveted 160-run mark. Hussey, playing in only his second match of the IPL this season owing to national commitments, turned it on during the fag end of the innings, with fellow Australian Brad Hodge’s (48 off 41 balls) support.

Hussey helped the Knight Riders score 42 off the last two overs, with the 19th over going for 28 runs — the highest in an over in the IPL. The Knight Riders, in fact, scored 110 off their last 10 overs — probably capitalising on losing only one wicket in the first 10. Hussey hit four sixes and two boundaries during his blitzkrieg and was run out in the last over by a direct hit from Gilchrist.

The eventful 19th over also saw RP being disallowed to bowl further after bowling two full tosses above the waist height.

It was the same old story for the Knight Riders after Gilchrist put them into bat. They failed to get any momentum in the first six overs of Powerplay and managed only 31 for the loss of McCullum’s (20) wicket during the period.

The Knight Riders captain hit a boundary and a huge six off RP Singh during his 18-ball knock but fell trying to be too adventurous. After surviving a dropped catch by Gibbs at short point, McCullum attempted a pull off Harris that went up miles in the air. T. Suman ran back a few steps and judged the skier to perfection at square leg.

Sourav Ganguly (33 off 41 balls) never looked in great touch and his timing, the signature of his batting, seemed to have deserted him Saturday. He combined with Hodge in a 58-run partnership for the second wicket.

A strong appeal for obstructing the field was made against Sourav, when he came in the way of a throw at the non-striker’s end, but the umpire ruled it not out. He finally holed out at long off, trying to hit Rohit Sharma out of the ground.

Hodge, the most successful of the Knight Riders batsmen, played a responsible knock. Unable to time the ball too well at the start of his innings, the 35-year old batsman decided to concentrate on ones and twos and played himself in. He fell, trying to up the tempo, caught at short fine-leg while attempting a pull off Harris.

The Knight Riders made three changes in their playing XI for Sunday’s match. The two Sri Lankans — Ajantha Mendis and Angelo Mathews — made way for Australian Hodge and Mortaza. Arindam Ghosh made way for Shoaib Sheikh.