Jonny Bairstow (108 not out) helped Punjab Kings chase down 262 to beat Kolkata Knight Riders in record-breaking fashion at Eden Gardens; Punjab record the highest-ever successful T20 run chase with eight balls to spare; Watch the Indian Premier League live on Sky Sports Cricket
Saturday 27 April 2024 07:54, UK
Jonny Bairstow fired an unbeaten century as Punjab Kings completed the highest successful run chase in T20 history in an eight-wicket win over the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Phil Salt fired 75 from 37 deliveries and put on a 138-run opening stand with Sunil Narine (71) for the Knight Riders, who batted first after losing the toss, with Venkatesh Iyer (39) and a quickfire 28 from captain Shreyas Iyer helping them post 261-6 from their 20 overs.
Punjab made a fast start to their chase, with Prabhsimran Singh making 54 from 20 adding 93 for the first wicket before being run out at the end of the sixth over.
Bairstow continued to impress in a stunning knock that contained eight fours and nine sixes, with the Englishman helping the visitors to 178-1 when Rilee Roussow was removed for 26.
Shashank Singh blasted eight maximums on his way to 68 from 28 deliveries and was part of an unbeaten 84-run third-wicket stand with Bairstow (108 not out), as Punjab completed their record chase with eight balls to spare.
Punjab's innings is the joint-highest score in IPL history for a team batting second, equalling Royal Challengers Bengaluru's 262-7 in response to Sunrisers Hyderabad's 287-3 in the league's highest-scoring game earlier this month.
The 34-year-old England batter had been omitted from struggling Punjab's previous two games after scoring just 96 runs in his first six IPL outings this season. But, in a timely reminder of his abilities ahead of this summer's T20 World Cup, he produced a remarkable display on his return to the side as a replacement for compatriot Liam Livingstone.
Bairstow reached his half-century off 23 balls and accelerated to 100 off the next 22, the second IPL hundred off his career, although Punjab still needed 84 from 45 balls when Roussow was dismissed.
Singh helped cross that finish line and reduced Bairstow to a spectator, reaching fifty from 23 balls and helping Punjab complete a historic victory.
"We knew that we had to go ballistic after how they batted. We had to take risks and thankfully they came off," Bairstow said. "I've never been faced with a target like that before. So we knew the powerplay would be important, and if anything is close to being in your area you've got to make the most of it."
Punjab's victory sees them jump over Mumbai Indians to eighth on net run rate, while the previous successful record chase was South Africa's chase of 259 against West Indies last year.
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