At the Eden Gardens, Punjab Kings defeated KKR’s 261 in a run-chase that set a record. Even with an outstanding all-around performance from Sunil Narine, several records were broken as the Punjab Kings defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets with eight balls remaining on Friday (April 26). They were led by Jonny Bairstow’s undefeated century and fast-bowling fifties from Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh.
The distinction: the death overs saw Kolkata Knight Riders contained.
It would be a bit harsh to suggest that KKR were contained even though they scored 69 runs in the final five overs, but that ended up being the deciding factor in the second-highest scoring game of the IPL (match aggregate: 523 runs), where the havoc at the bat never stopped.
Powerplay: Narine and Salt have fun
KKR: 76/0 [RR: 12.67; 9/4 for 4s/6s]
The openers for the Kolkata Knight Riders, who are playing well, kept up their dominance. With the opening ball, Narine got things moving by hitting a boundary. He then extended his arms and forcefully hit a widish delivery from Sam Curran through the extra cover area. While Salt took some time to attack, Narine persisted and managed to take out Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh. Salt entered in the third over as well, hitting Harshal Patel for two sixes and a four. Both openers had their lucky breaks, as Curran dropped an easy chance at mid off in the sixth over to give Salt a life on 34 and Harpreet Brar dismissed Narine in the third over.
Middle overs: KKR keeps up the blitz
RR: 12.78; 4s/6s: 9/8; KKR: 115/2
Narine and Salt kept causing the PBKS bowlers pain even after the field limitations were lifted. Rahul Chahar bowled a tight over and even had a chance later to have Salt caught a run, but Rabada dismissed another easy opportunity. Subsequently, Salt and Narine terrorized the South African for 22 runs, amassing 128 runs for the first wicket before both were removed in brief order. However, batting at No. 3 and No. 4, Venkatesh Iyer and Andre Russell muscled a couple huge smashes and made sure that the scoring pace didn’t drop through the middle overs.
Death overs: Iyer(s) dominate, although damage is limited by PBKS
KKR is 69/4. 13.80 RR; 4s/6s: 4/6
With a crisp bouncer, Sam Curran removed Andre Russell early in the final over. But in the eighteenth over, Shreyas Iyer dismissed the left-arm pacer, hitting two sixes and a four in quick succession. Although his stay was short, a 10-ball 28 gave KKR the boost they needed. Even though the remaining batsmen found it difficult to generate momentum in the last overs, KKR managed to record their best score at Eden Gardens with 261/6.
Kings of Punjab
Prabhsimran’s Powerplay: The Show
[RR: 15.50; 4s/6s: 9/7] PBKS: 93/1
Prabhsimran Singh’s explosive 18-ball half-century served as the catalyst for Punjab Kings’ impressive powerplay display. He combined traditional strokes with some ingenious scoops to make it difficult for the KKR bowlers to keep track of the score. In the second over, Prabhsimran attacked Harshit Rana, and he didn’t let up until the conclusion of the powerplay, when he was run out trying to run a daring single. In the last over, Jonny Bairstow, who had refrained from striking for the majority of the partnership, also found his rhythm, hitting Anukul Roy for two sixes and three boundaries. With a score of 93/1, they achieved the highest ever for PBKS and the fourth-highest in IPL history.
Middle Overs: Bairstow assumes the starting position.
PBKS: 108/1 [4s/6s: 4/10; RR: 17.94]
PBKS continued their onslaught into the middle overs with little resistance, save for three overs of Narine during which he gave up just 12 runs. During this stage, Bairstow was the main scorer, with Rilee Rossouw having a difficult time for the majority of his visit. When Bairstow hit Andre Russell for 24 runs in the 12th over, including three sixes, it was the most devastating blow to the pacer.
Death Overs: Shashi Kant assumes command
In 3.4 overs, PBKS scored 61/0 [RR: 12.00; 4s/6s: 2/7].
As they entered the final overs needing over 12 runs per over, PBKS remained vigilant. After Harshit Rana’s tight over, KKR managed to make the visitors’ chase a little more difficult, but in the next two overs, Shashank hammered seven sixes and a boundary, ending KKR’s aspirations. Shashank hit Chameera for a sixth run after he had only conceded nine runs in the previous two overs, and PBKS reached the goal with three easy singles.
Brief Scores: Punjab Kings 262/2 in 18.4 overs (Jonny Bairstow 108*, Shashank Singh 68*, Sunil Narine 1-24) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders 261/6 in 20 overs (Phil Salt 75, Sunil Narine 71; Arshdeep Singh 2-45) by 8 wickets.
What are the teams’ next moves?
While KKR will take a few days off before playing Delhi Capitals at home in their next game, Punjab Kings will travel to Chennai to take on the reigning champions on Sunday afternoon.
