Jonny Bairstow’s century out-muscles KKR’s 261 as Punjab complete record chase

Synopsis: On a pitch rolled-out for batsmen, Kolkata Knight Riders pile on 261/6 before Jonny Bairstow’s magnificent century helps Punjab Kings complete record chase.

Bairstow bullies KKR bowlers

On the face of it, Jonny Bairstow is a curious player. When he doesn’t click he can be very frustrating to watch. But when he does, just like he did on Friday night at the Eden Gardens, there’s rarely a cleaner hitter of the ball in T20s. After returning to the Punjab’s starting XI after being dropped for the last two matches, the English opener smashed the KKR pace battery to smithereens. He took 24 runs off the last over of the powerplay as Punjab reached 93/1 after the first 6 overs, improving upon their KKR counterparts’ 76/0 in the first innings.And the chase was well and truly on.

Bairstow would not relent as the innings progressed, getting to his 50 from 23 balls as he all but silenced a 55k-strong home crowd at the iconic Eden Gardens.

With the pace attack faltering, Shreyas Iyer introduced Varun Chakaravarthy but the opener would not be denied, as he nonchalantly hit the mystery spinner for 17 runs in the 11th over as Punjab brought up their 150 in the very next one. Even the usually potent Andre Russell wasn’t safe from the Bairstow blitzkrieg as he smashed 24 runs off the 12th over and then brought up his ton in 45 deliveries.

He was ably supported by Shashank Singh with whom Bairstow brought up a 50-run partnership off just 27 deliveries as Punjab reached the target of 262 with eight balls to spare, making it the highest successful run chase in all T20s.

Shashank, who has been the find of the season for Punjab, also did his part with a quickfire 67 off 27 after Rilee Rossouw was dismissed in the 13th over for 26. With his innings, which came at a crucial stage when Bairstow was appearing to run out of gas, ensured there was no comeback for Kolkata.

Earlier, it was Prabhsimran Singh who started it all, bringing up his half century in just 18 balls before being run out as Punjab went all hell for leather from the word go in the chase of a steep target.

Kolkata make Punjab pay for dropped catches

In a hot, sticky, energy-sapping evening in Kolkata, Punjab Kings skipper Sam Curran chose to have a bowl after winning the toss. But his bowlers were bled dry by Kolkata’s opening pair Sunil Narine and Phil Salt, who brought up a 138-run partnership. To make matters worse, the Punjab bowlers weren’t helped by some really subpar fielding which saw both openers dropped thrice inside the first 10 overs.

Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders batter Sunil Naraine and Phil Salt during Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Friday, April 26, 2024.(PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra)

Since getting promoted to the opener slot again this season, opposition attacks are yet to find a way to stop the carnage from Narine. Even the best player of the 2022 T20 World Cup, Curran felt his wrath when he saw the first delivery he bowled to Narine getting slashed for a four. Same happened with Arshdeep Singh in the second over as the West Indies all-rounder nonchalantly pulled him for a six over square leg. He would reach his half century in just 23 balls before ultimately getting dismissed for 71 off Rahul Chahar. His knock had four sixes and nine boundaries.

The carnage continued with his opening partner Phil Salt, who after quiet first 2 overs where he scored 2 runs from 5, signalled his intent by smashing Harshal Patel for two sixes and a four, marauding 18 from the third over. Even Kagiso Rabada wasn’t spared as both openers made him look absolutely ordinary with KKR reaching 50 in just 3.5 overs, 21 runs of which came from his first over.

As the powerplay ended, Kolkata had reached 76/0 with Punjab already having a huge mountain to scale.

From there on with their fielders not making it any easy, Punjab’s attack struggled to stream to the run flow as Kolkata’s 100 came up in the 8th over.

The Englishman would also get his half century off just 25 as the hapless Punjab bowlers searched for a breakthrough. In all, Salt six sixes and as many boundaries.

There wasn’t any let up for Punjab as the evening progressed with the bowlers gradually losing the plot as Kolkata batsmen made merry, posting 137/0 after 10 overs.

No respite in the middle overs

Curran would strike in the 13th over, cleaning up Salt for 75 but the flow of runs was not stemmed with KKR opting to send Andre Russell up the order at number 4. The burly striker would start his innings by playing a well-timed shot which required him to arch his body and send the delivery to the third man boundary. He would build on that with a six off the 15th over bowled by Harpreet Brar as Punjab’s strategy to stifle KKR in the middle overs didn’t really pan out.

Russell survived a thick edge which wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma failed to catch and it reached the boundary to bring up KKR’s 200 in the 16th over. The West Indies allrounder would perish in the very same over, having made24 off 12.

Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders’ Andre Russell plays a shot during an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings, at the Eden Gardens, in Kolkata, Friday, April 26, 2024. (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra)

Shreyas Iyer would replace him in the middle scoring 28 off 10 deliveries with three sixes and a four off the 18th before falling in the next one. The Knights would ultimately post 261/6, the highest-ever IPL score at the Eden Gardens.

But little did they know at the half-way stage that the record would be surpassed within a couple of hours and eight balls to spare.

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