In the 42nd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Punjab Kings (PBKS) beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by eight wickets at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
PBKS won the toss and chose to bowl first, which was the right call given the conditions in Kolkata. However, after conceding 261 in the first inning, it must have taken a courageous dressing room at halftime to believe that the team would go all out to chase this down. Rahul Chahar was the only bowler to have an economy rate under nine. Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran were also decent with their economies, as they both seized KKR wickets.
Chasing 262 is undoubtedly not something that happens often, but PBKS showed bravery by attacking from the first ball, and they undoubtedly received the correct reward for it. Prabhsimran Singh (54) smashed a quickfire fifty, which included four fours and five sixes. From the other end, Jonny Bairstow (108*) also joined the party and hammered a thunderous century. Both opening batters scored 93 runs for the first wicket partnership in just 36 balls. Bairstow continued his stellar even play after the powerplay, batting throughout the inning to take PBKS over the winning line. The Englishman smashed eight fours and nine sixes at a humongous strike rate of 225. While Rilee Rossouw (26) also played his part, it was Shashank Singh (68*) who kept the innings going. In 28 balls, Singh played a crucial knock, scoring a half-century at a strike rate of 242.86. The Indian batter also struck eight massive sixes, which made sure that the visiting team chased the total with eight balls to spare.
In the first inning, both openers Phil Salt (75) and Sunil Narine (71) started out strong, with Salt hitting six fours and six sixes and Narine hitting nine fours and four sixes. Both batters also added 138 runs together for the first wicket partnership, which was the highlight of the inning. The likes of Venkatesh Iyer (39), Andre Russell (24) and Shreyas Iyer (28) also contributed quickfire runs, which helped them get to 261/6 in 20 overs.
Arshdeep Singh was brilliant with the ball for PBKS as he plucked two wickets. Along with him, Sam Curran and Rahul Chahar also grabbed one wicket each.
For KKR with the ball, Sunil Narine was the only bowler to take a wicket.
Jonny Bairstow was adjudged Player of the Match for his outstanding batting show. Following this win, PBKS have won their third game of the season and are still eighth on the points table.
Scorecard:
Kolkata Knight Riders: 261/6, Overs 20, Phil Salt 75, Arshdeep Singh 2/45
Punjab Kings: 262/2, Overs 18.4, Jonny Bairstow 108*, Sunil Narine 1/24