Hussey's 38 off 43 balls helped his side to 5-112 in reply to the Deccan Chargers' total of 110 all out.
The low scoring affair was ensured by a pitch which spun sharply and produced puffs of dust as the pacemen's deliveries at times exploded off the deck.
Australian Test skipper Ricky Ponting made a first ball duck in his second IPL outing, trapped LBW by Sri Lankan veteran Chaminda Vaas.
The competition's highest paid player, Australian Andrew Symonds, made 32 from 39 balls for the Chargers while team-mate and compatriot Adam Gilchrist made 23 from 22.
In tonight's other match, the Bangalore Royal Challengers beat the Mumbai Indians by five wickets in Mumbai.
Mumbai suffered a setback before the match when superstar Sachin Tendulkar was ruled out with injury.
Things only got worse, though, with Australian all-rounder Dominic Thornely forced to retire hurt on nought when he was struck on the helmet grill by a Zaheer Khan bouncer.
