KOLKATA: Jonny Bairstow and Shashank Singh’s power-hitting display propelled PBKS to chase down the highest total that T20 cricket has ever witnessed, following their 8-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season on Friday.
KKR asked PBKS to defy the odds and walk away with two points, on a record-breaking night. While chasing a record total of 262, PBKS started on the fast lane as boundaries kept raining with Bairstow and Prabhsimran Singh going all guns blazing at the iconic Eden Gardens.
The first six overs were a display of the art of striking the ball towards the boundary line or across it. Both batters combined to score seven sixes in the powerplay which helped PBKS set the tone of the game. The duo put 93 runs on the board in the first 36 deliveries to foreshadow the events that were about to unfold.
Prabhsimran lost his wicket on the final ball of the powerplay, but PBKS stayed faithful to their aggressive approach. Rilee Rossouw (26) played a short cameo which kept PBKS on track for the chase. Rossouw’s dismissal saw the arrival of Shashank Singh on the crease.
Bairstow and Shashank joined hands, forged an unbeaten 84-run partnership and made KKR batters rework their plans over and over again.
Shashank played with KKR bowlers, toyed with them and made them look clueless after each delivery. Bairstow who completed his ton with a boundary was a spectator at the other end as he enjoyed Shashank’s masterclass.
With a single, PBKS, in the 19th over, sealed an 8-wicket win which marked their third win of the season. The bowlers of both teams were hapless throughout the game as 252 runs came just through sixes in the entire game.
Earlier in the innings, the 138-run partnership between Sunil Narine and Salt was the 8th 100-plus opening stand for KKR in the IPL and the first since 105 between Narine and Lynn against RCB in Bengaluru back in 2017.
Salt scored a magnificent 75 off 37 while Sunil Narine played a fine knock of 71 in 32 balls, complemented by Shreyas Iyer’s impressive 28-run contribution, while Venkatesh Iyer concluded in style with a lively 39-run cameo, propelling KKR to a formidable total.
Put to bat first, the opening pair of Philip Salt and Sunil Narine got off to an aggressive start and the duo looked unstoppable as KKR raced their way to 76/0 in the Powerplay.
Salt single-handedly crunched Harshal Patel for 18 runs, hammering sixes and one four in the third over. In the very next over the openers smoked Kagiso Rabada for 21 runs, slamming three boundaries and maximum.
PBKS stand-in captain Sam Curran brought back Rabada in the attack however the decision backfired as Salt and Narine destroyed the pacer with back-to-back boundaries, gathering 22 runs.
Salt was in sensational form for Kolkata at the top and continued his good run of form as he slammed a half-century in 25 balls. Rahul Chahar finally broke the solid partnership as he removed Narine for 71.
In the 13th over of the game, Sam Curran ended Salt’s stay at the crease. The KKR batter went back to the pavilion after scoring 75 off 37.
Andre Russell, who is in red-hot form in the tournament came out to bat. The batters hammered PBKS bowlers for a brief period, gathering 24 runs, before losing his wicket to Arshdeep Singh.
KKR captain Shreyas Iyer came out to bat and the batter picked it from where Russell left, hammering PBKS skipper Curran for 24 runs with the help of three maximums and one boundary.
KKR lost Shreyas Iyer and Rinku Singh at short intervals, while Venkatesh Iyer kept the momentum going for KKR. In the last over, Venkatesh and Ramandeep Singh gathered 12 runs, propelling KKR to 261/6 in 20 overs.
Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 261/6 (Philip Salt 75, Sunil Narine 71; Arshdeep Singh 2-45) vs Punjab Kings 262/2 (Jonny Bairstow 108*, Shashank Singh 68*, Prabhsimran Singh 54; Sunil Narin 1-24). (ANI)