Kings XI Punjab failed to score a stiff 19 required off the last over and lost to Chevrolet Warriors by 10 runs in a warm-up Twenty20 match ahead of the Indian Premier League second season on Tuesday.
Set a target of 152 to win, Kings XI lost wickets at regular intervals and could only muster 141 for 6 at the Sahara Oval, St George's Park.
Australia's Simon Katich (12), Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara (16) and Englishman Ravi Bopara (24) all got starts before losing their wickets.
It was left to middle order batsman Taruwar Kohli to take charge and he brought Kings XI close to the target, with 19 runs needing off the last over off Warren Bell.
Kohli's partner at the other end, Karan Goel, raised Kings XI's hopes when he smashed a straight six off the first ball of the final over to leave the equation at 13 off the remaining five deliveries.
However, destiny had other things in store as Kohli was run-out by wicketkeeper Davy Jacobs two balls later, and Bell was bang on his task, conceding only two singles off the remaining three deliveries.
Kohli scored 36 runs off 26 deliveries, which was studded with two fours and an equal number of sixes.
For Chevrolet Warriors, pacer Bell was the most successful bowler, scalping the wickets of Katich and Bopara for 22 runs, while Jon-Jon Smuts claimed the wicket of the dangerous Sangakkara.
Earlier, VRV Singh picked four for 24 to restrict the Warriors to 151 for five after the South African side was asked to bat first. Colin Ingram hit an unbeaten 57.
Kings XI's fielding was shoddy, dropping as many as five catches.
The Warriors were quick to capitalise on the errors and Ingram played some delightful strokes en route his 57-run innings, although he was lucky to survive after being bowled off a no-ball by Vikramjit Malik.
He faced 43 balls and stroked five fours and two sixes in his innings.