Cape Town, April 19: Deccan Chargers made a winning start to their IPL campaign against the Kolkata Knight Riders here on Sunday. Chasing a moderate target of 102, Chargers lost skipper Adam Gilchrist and V.V.S. Laxman but made light work of their task and romped home to a comfortable eight wicket win. Chargers reached the target in 13.1 overs.

Rohit Sharma stood out with some clean striking. A straight driven six off Ajit Agarkar and another off Murali Kartik were special. Herschelle Gibbs who scored the winning runs was involved in an unbroken 69-run stand that took the team home. Winning with more than six overs to spare should certainly add to Chargers’ confidence when they meet Bangalore Royal Challengers next here at Newlands on April 22.

Earlier, the Chargers started the job with disconcerting pace and finished it with intelligent spin and subtle seam. Fidel Edwards was the Van Halen with the ball, providing chin music with speed but never let go the rhythm in their opening game.

If a tearaway paceman allows only two singles in three overs, the captain cannot ask more of him. Edwards put the team on track and then a spirited team effort kept the Knight Riders down to a meagre 101 runs.

The Chargers stood true to their name, throwing themselves around as smart catching and a thinking captain formed the key ingredients of a side fighting hard to prove 2008 was an aberration. At the strategic break after 10 overs, Knight Riders were struggling at 29/4 and their situation did not improve much.

One side had a game plan in place and struck to it, while the other wilted, unable to find plan B.