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That's all that we have for you from the Indian Premier League today. We'll be back with plenty more of the same with two double-headers lined up over the course of the weekend. Join us right here on Sportskeeda for our coverage of that, and of course, a whole lot more! This is Rajarshi Das, signing off on behalf of Pradeep. Good night - see you tomorrow!
While the best of bowlers are to emerge from such adversity, there literally seems nothing for them in this format. Yet another occasion of over 500 runs being scored in an IPL game this year - we'd be running out of bowlers in every cricket academy at this rate, everyone would want to be a batter, one resembling a baseball batter in fact, willing to swing at anything coming their way without bothering to master the basics of batting.
Punjab Kings pull off a grand heist under a purple Eden Gardens, and they'll be immensely upbeat going into their next clash against the Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk. The Kolkata Knight Riders will be deflated by the outcome of this contest, but they'll look at it as a mere bump in the road and nothing else. They'll be hosting the Delhi Capitals next on Monday.
Jonny Bairstow has been adjudged the Player Of The Match for his unbeaten 108 off 48 deliveries! Here's what he has to say: We got off to a good start, Prabh started off the innings for us really nicely. That was pretty key, they got off to a pretty nice start as well, Salt and Sunil, we knew we had to go ballistic in the powerplay as well. We took some risks and they came off. You got to take risks, sometimes they come off. Sometimes luck's not going your way when you're chasing down targets - you got to take risks in the powerplay. Somedays it's your day, somedays it's not. (On his mindset) Try and whack it as far as possible (guffaws) never been in a game where there's 260 been score. Was a case of if it was in your area ypu had to go, we actually had a couple quiet overs because of Sunil. Special (On Shashank), he's done it all season for us, lovely guy, special player, for someone like him to come in and hit in those areas is unbelievable. The knowledge he's had over the period of time as well. He's not a young guy either. It's great to be out there with him, he's such a nice and calm guy, which is what you need in a run-chase like this. Full credit to him the way he came out, and how he hit it so cleanly was very special.
Sam Curran, Punjab Kings captain: Very pleasing, most importantly, the win, cricket's turning to baseball, isn't it. We're delighted with the two points, had a tough few weeks as a team, but we've hung in there and taken teams down to the wire. Forget about the scores, I feel we deserved a victory. The way guys train is huge, they can hit balls for a longer time. The confidence, the coaches, the way guys have been training. and with these small grounds, sometimes you get a wide not called, you review it and get an extra ball. Extraordianary, everyone wants to see the sixes, it's all those small moments - whether you get hit for 20 an over, and get the wicket for your team, I though the way we hung in there, we managed to chase it down with two overs to spare. Really pleased for Jonny, he's been on tour for a long period of time. He's really eager to score runs for the team. Really pleased for him. Shashank, wow. We gave him that extra responsibility to go up to 4 and he's been the find of the season for us. He and Ashutosh have been absolutely incredible. Take two points, you got to enjoy those small wins. Was a big win, this. Proud of everyone.
Sunil Narine bags the most fours of the Match
Jonny Bairstow has been handed the ultimate Fantasy Player Of The Match, and also the Super Sixes of the Match
Right - time for the presentations. Shreyas Iyer has been awarded the Electric Striker Of the Match
Shashank Singh: When I was at the dug out, I was looking at how the wicket was behaving, the ball was coming on nicely and just thought, I'll have to play normal cricketing shots and started off playing single and doubles, take on the rest of the bowlers. (On coach giving him free license) From the match one, he's given me the free license to bat, told me to play with freedom and backing me to play my game. To be honest, the previous losses were small margin, this match with Prabh given us that kind of a start and the way Jonny batted, that gives us immense confidence to do well. Great learning for me, yes, so many talented lads in the dressing room, still five more matches to go, we can turn things around.
Shreyas Iyer (Kolkata Knight Riders captain): (260 at the start of the game) I would've taken it absolutely. The way the batters batted was tremendous to see. Salt and Narine gave us that kind of a start, so much you ask and they deliver it and it's the treat to the eyes with the way they bat. To be honest, both the teams played great, one of the games where you go back and introspect on areas where you went wrong. Batting first, posted 260 and not being able to defend it, we need to assess the conditions and come back with with better ideas. Narine hits them such ease, treat to the eyes and he does the same in the nets, lot to learn from him and hopefully he continues to play like this for us.
Match summary:
Punjab Kings win by 8 wickets with 8 balls to spare
Jonny Bairstow 108*(48) | Arshdeep Singh 2/45 (4) Phil Salt 75(37) | Sunil Narine 1/24 (4)
523 runs have just been scored in a T20 match, and we haven't even had all 20 overs in. The Punjab Kings, having eventually meandered along to the eventual target, have scripted history while at it - this is now the highest successful run-chase in T20 cricket. We thought we saw it all when the Sunrisers Hyderabad hit 277 against the Mumbai Indians earlier today, little did we know what we had in store going deeper into the season.
Prabhsimran, having been seated in the dugout for the first 20 overs, witnessed Narine and Salt wreak havoc on his bowling teammates and decided to emulate the same over the Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers. He sure did a commendable job at it - to think that his 20-ball 54 might end up at the bottom of Punjab Kings' summary column is starggering in itself. Prabhsimran represented a hungry lion, freed from his shackles at a zoo, tearing into the KKR pace attack viciously.
And then there was Jonny Bairstow - he started and ended his innings being a happy spectator at the other end. Oh, and he hit an unbeaten 108 in between - no big deal! Prabhsimran's bat swing was one to admire - his troubles against hard length, high pace seemed a thing of the past as he picked his spots and took the Kings to 69 in 5 overs, bringing up his own half-century in the process.
Bairstow then joined the party, swishing a blade that seemed like a toothpick given the swiftness of his bat swing, and connecting with the ball with minimal fuss. Sunil Narine was the only bowler who had some control over proceedings, he went for exactly 6 runs an over, claiming the wicket of Rilee Rossouw while at it. That brought along Shashank Singh to the crease, and what followed was something right out of every young Indian aspiring cricketer's dream.
Shashank merely had to pick his spots to go after - nothing, absolutely nothing seemed to work against him! Bowlers went into the pitch, hit the deck hard, took the pace off, tried going wide of him, but there was simply no stopping the man from Chhattisgarh. Shashank simply stole the spotlight from Jonny Bairstow in the end, clubbing 8 sixes to go with a couple of boundaries on his way to an unbeaten 28-ball 68, and in the process, taking the Punjab Kings past KKR's total of 261.
WOW. We are out of words. How do you explain what just happened?! Just.... how?! 260 used to be an untouchable total in T20 cricket when it started - we've had a target of 262 chased down before the start of the last over!
18.4 Ramandeep Singh to Shashank Singh, PUNJAB KINGS PULL OFF A HEIST! Unbelievable stuff and absolute scenes here at the Eden Garden, one of the greatest T20 games you've ever watched as Punjab chased down the highest target ever in a T20 format. Full toss outside the off-stump, Shashank punched it to mid-off and hares across, puts in the dive as well and seals the deal.
18.3 Ramandeep Singh to Jonny Bairstow, short outside the off-stump, Bairstow bunted it to sweeper cover for one. Scores are level now!
18.2 Ramandeep Singh to Shashank Singh, short into the batter, Shashank on top of the bounce and pulled it to deep mid-wicket for just one. Punjab need just 2 now!
18.1 Ramandeep Singh to Shashank Singh, SIX MORE! Shashank is in real hurry to wrap this up here, what a game this has been. Length delivery, in the slot and Shashank pummels it straight down the ground for a maximum. Shashank is seeing it like a beach ball!
Ramandeep Singh, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
No, this is not a Cricket 07 clip that you're watching on telly. This is real-life cricket - 253 runs have been scored in 18 overs the second innings, and 9 runs are still needed for a victory for the chasing team. Twenty-five off the 18th over, and the Punjab Kings might get this done in the penultimate over itself!
18
overs
253/2score
1
1wd
6
6
4
1
6
runs
Jonny Bairstow*
107(47)
Shashank Singh
60(25)
Harshit Rana
0/61
17.6 Harshit Rana to Jonny Bairstow, SIX MORE! Outrageous ball striking from Punjab tonight and it hasn't stopped at all. Full outside the off-stump, Bairstow right underneath and smokes it over long-off this time for yet another maximum.
17.5 Harshit Rana to Shashank Singh, slower one, back of a length outside the off-stump. Shashank had to reach and cuts it through covers for a single.
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S Narine
S Curran
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Jonny Bairstow
*
Harshit Rana
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
