Bairstow bests Narine as Punjab Kings pull off report T20 chase
Punjab Kings 262 for two (Bairstow 108*, Shashank 68*, Prabhsimran 54, Narine 1-24) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 261 for six (Salt 75, Narine 71, Arshdeep 2-45) by eight wickets
Like temperatures throughout the entire of India, run-scoring and six-hitting in IPL 2024 are going just one manner – up. In an unbelievably ruthless show of batting, Punjab Kings hunted down 262 in opposition to Kolkata Knight Riders to report the best profitable chase in all of T20 historical past, and received there with eight balls to spare. They hit 24 sixes, six greater than what KKR managed, and the 2 groups collectively set the report for essentially the most sixes in any T20 recreation.
In the method, Jonny Bairstow roared again to kind to smack his second IPL hundred. Shashank Singh, one among PBKS’ finds of the season, clubbed 68* from solely 28 balls, eight of which disappeared over the boundary. Amid all that, Sunil Narine stood aside with figures of 4-0-24-1 for KKR.
That got here after he continued his dream season with the bat, pummeling 71 off 32 deliveries in a gap partnership of 138 in 10.2 overs. Phil Salt, Narine’s opening accomplice, additionally rode on his kind – and a few luck – to hurry to 75 from 37. But all of that went in useless.
Prabhsimran dominates the powerplay
Eden Gardens had simply taken within the enormity of the house workforce’s batting effort when PBKS replied in type, pumping their highest-ever powerplay rating of 93 for 1. And Prabhsimran Singh dominated this part regardless of not attending to face a single ball of the sixth over. Coming on as Impact sub at the beginning of the chase, he hammered 54 off 20 balls, the spotlight of his innings coming when he went after KKR debutant Dushmantha Chameera in a 23-run third over. There have been 5 sixes in his innings, together with a scoop over fantastic leg off Chameera.
Bairstow then went 4, 6, 4, 4, 6 off Anukul Roy within the sixth over, earlier than Prabhsimran, responding to the decision for a fast single from the non-striker’s finish, was run out off the final ball of the powerplay.
Bairstow carts KKR throughout
Bairstow was dropped by PBKS after managing simply 96 runs in his first six innings this season. And he took his time discovering his toes in his return recreation, scoring simply 12 off his first 10 balls. But his assault on Roy gave a touch of what was to return. He discovered a little bit of assist in the ninth over, although, when Roy dropped him whereas flinging himself to his left at long-off, and failed to forestall the ball from going for six. That shot off Varun Chakravarthy introduced up Bairstow’s fifty, off 23 balls.
Bairstow went after Varun once more within the eleventh over, launching him for a six over long-off, chipping a 4 over the bowler’s head, and swat-pulling him for an additional six. When Bairstow received to his hundred off 45 balls to finish the sixteenth over, PBKS wanted 52 from 24.
Shashank helps PBKS sail by
Shashank got here to the crease when Narine, who one way or the other conceded simply two fours and a six in his 4 overs, dismissed Rilee Rossouw for a 16-ball 26 within the thirteenth over. It was the primary time he had batted above No. 6 for PBKS, and he rapidly made his liking for the promotion evident, hitting Varun for back-to-back leg-side sixes when he had simply confronted three balls.
The recreation was tilting PBKS’ manner when the final 4 overs started, and the sixteenth made them clear favourites, as Shashank thumped Chameera for 3 sixes – a swat, a scoop, and a pull – as PBKS’ required charge fell to lower than two runs per ball. The match led to a rush, as Shashank clattered three extra sixes, off Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh, and the group started to disperse even earlier than the end result was formally confirmed. Shashank was batting on 25 when Bairstow reached his hundred; the match ended with Shashank on 68 and Bairstow on 108.
Salt, Narine arrange daunting KKR complete
PBKS dropped Salt twice and Narine as soon as inside the primary seven overs, and the 2 turbocharged openers ran away to 83 for no loss in that point. By the time KKR had reached the midway level of their innings, that they had added one other 54 to their rating. Narine reached his fifty within the eighth over, bringing it up 23 balls, and Salt received to his within the subsequent over.
At the 10-over mark, ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster predicted a KKR complete of 282.
PBKS lastly separated the opening pair when Rahul Chahar received Narine to mishit an enormous shot and discover Bairstow at long-on. Who knew then that Bairstow would have a lot of a say later within the day?
KKR promoted Andre Russell as much as No. 4, and he entered within the thirteenth over. Facing his second ball, he upper-cut Sam Curran for 4 to deep third. Chahar then bowled a quiet 14th over, conceding simply seven runs, nevertheless it was solely a brief little bit of respite, as Russell, Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer – who hit Curran for six, 4, 6, 6 to finish the nineteenth over – joined fingers to take 85 off the final six overs.
KKR’s complete of 261 for six would have been the second-highest in IPL historical past if it had been made earlier than this season. As it occurred, it was solely the seventh-highest on the midway level of this recreation, and the eighth highest by the point it was completed.
Himanshu Agrawal is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo