KKR vs PBKS Highlights, IPL 2024: 3 moments that generated buzz among fans in Match 42 ft. Jonny Bairstow & Shashank Singh
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were beaten at home by Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a record-breaking IPL 2024 game at the Eden Gardens on Friday, April 26. The hosts set a mammoth target of 262 but it was made to look like a walk in the park by the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Shashank Singh.
Phil Salt (75) and Sunil Narine (71) made merry against some questionable bowling and fielding from Punjab and the whirlwind start was followed by handy cameos from KKR's middle-order batters.
Prabhsimran Singh set the tone for the visitors with a quickfire 54 off just 20 balls. An unfortunate run-out, however, sent the opener back to the pavilion. While Kolkata may have thought they had a respite, it wasn't to be as Jonny Bairstow (108*) and Shashank Singh (68*) ensured PBKS coasted home in the 19th over with eight wickets in hand.
On that note, let's take a look at three moments from the record chase that caught the attention of fans on social media:
#3 Sam Curran wins the battle against Phil Salt
There were moments in KKR's innings where it looked like they would get a lot more than the 261 they ended up with. However, PBKS kept chipping away with wickets at crucial junctures to ensure they dented Kolkata's momentum. One such moment was when Phil Salt was castled by Sam Curran.
The KKR opener was in the mood to inflict more damage on Punjab and began the 13th over with back-to-back sixes off Curran over long off. The PBKS stand-in captain then changed his plan with a full delivery that crashed into the stumps. Had Salt not been dismissed, Kolkata might have breached even the 280-run mark.
#2 Jonny Bairstow takes Anukul Roy apart
Jonny Bairstow's poor form in the lead-up to the game against KKR had also seen him left out of the team. However, he made his opportunity count at the Eden Gardens with a sensational hundred in a record chase. The moment that really got him going was the final over of the powerplay where he took down left-arm spinner Anukul Roy.
Bairstow got a bit lucky with an inside edge that went for a boundary on the first ball. However, what followed was sheer skill as he picked the bones out of a couple of deliveries and deposited them over the mid-wicket boundary. The over also had another couple of boundaries and despite the run out of Prabhsimran on the last ball, PBKS and Bairstow had got the momentum they needed.
#1 Bairstow & Shashank seal highest successful T20 chase
PBKS promoted Shashank Singh to No. 4 after Rilee Rossouw's dismissal and it proved to be a masterstroke as the latter was the ideal foil for Bairstow. While KKR would have hoped for some control after Rossouw's wicket, that wasn't to be as fours and sixes started flowing from both ends.
The duo added 84 runs for the third wicket, of which 68 came off Shashank's bat. Both the batters roared in delight as Shashank drove a delivery towards mid-off and completed a single to clinch the highest successful run-chase in the history of T20 cricket.