Hussey stitched together a 47-run fourth wicket stand with skipper Sourav Ganguly (14) to steady the ship before launching into an all-out assault to ensure his side's second consecutive win, with one over to spare.

The Aussie turned the game the Knight Riders way with his savage attack on Scott Styris in the 18th over, as he plundered a six and a boundary to bring his side close to victory. Hussey brought up the winning runs with a straight field six off Pragyan Ojha, after a 31-minute stoppage caused by a power failure. The low scoring match in a format known for brisk run rate could be ascribed partly to the strange behaviour of the wicket, which seemed under prepared and two-paced, making it difficult for the willowers to go for shots.

The hosts innings got off on the wrong note, as Brendon McCullum (5) the destroyer-in-chief on the other day was dismissed cheaply when he lobbed an R P Singh delivery into the hands of Rohit Sharma at backward point. Then Ricky Ponting was trapped leg before by Sri Lankan veteran Chaminda Vaas without opening his account.