They might have won the hearts of fans with their free-spirited cricket, but Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) turned party-poopers on Wednesday. By the time Dwayne Bravo & Co began their customary celebrations, the Deccan Chargers’s campaign in the inaugural Champions League T20 had come to a halt. Within a week since its glitzy beginning, one of the three Indian teams had bowed out in the very first round, with the Chargers crashing to a three-run loss against a charged-up T&T outfit.

Chasing 150, the IPL champions seemed well on their way as captain Adam Gilchrist slash the first ball of the innings over the third-man boundary for six. But VVS Laxman fell in the second over and Abhinav Kumar didn’t last too long either. And when Andrew Symonds was run-out after a mix-up with Gilchrist, the writing seemed to be very much on the wall for the home team.

But Gilchrist and Rohit Sharma bought the Chargers right back into the game with a spirited partnership as the T&T spinners, who were the key against Somerset, began to feel the heat. The Deccan skipper reached his half-century but fell soon after and with Sharma lasting only two more balls, the hosts lost their way again. Venugopal Rao did raise hopes of a late recovery, smashing two sixes in a 19-ball 30, but fell off the last ball of the 18th over. Needing eight runs of the last over, the Chargers still seemed within a shout of reaching the target, but Bravo, who finished with three for 24, blew away their hopes.

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