Bairstow bests Narine as Punjab Kings pull off record T20 chase

Like temperatures across the whole of India, run-scoring and six-hitting in IPL 2024 are going only one way - up. In an unbelievably ruthless display of batting, Punjab Kings hunted down 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders to record the highest successful chase in all of T20 history, and got there with eight balls to spare. They hit 24 sixes, six more than what KKR managed, and the two teams together set the record for the most sixes in any T20 game.

In the process, Jonny Bairstow roared back to form to smack his second IPL hundred. Shashank Singh, one of PBKS' finds of the season, clubbed 68* from only 28 balls, eight of which disappeared over the boundary. Amid all that, Sunil Narine stood apart with figures of 4-0-24-1 for KKR.

That came after he continued his dream season with the bat, pummeling 71 off 32 deliveries in an opening partnership of 138 in 10.2 overs. Phil Salt, Narine's opening partner, also rode on his form - and some luck - to rush to 75 from 37. But all of that went in vain.

Eden Gardens had just taken in the enormity of the home team's batting effort when PBKS replied in kind, pumping their highest-ever powerplay score of 93 for 1. And Prabhsimran Singh dominated this phase despite not getting to face a single ball of the sixth over. Coming on as Impact sub at the start of the chase, he hammered 54 off 20 balls, the highlight of his innings coming when he went after KKR debutant Dushmantha Chameera in a 23-run third over. There were five sixes in his innings, including a scoop over fine leg off Chameera.

Bairstow then went 4, 6, 4, 4, 6 off Anukul Roy in the sixth over, before Prabhsimran, responding to the call for a quick single from the non-striker's end, was run out off the last ball of the powerplay.

Bairstow was dropped by PBKS after managing just 96 runs in his first six innings this season. And he took his time finding his feet in his return game, scoring just 12 off his first 10 balls. But his assault on Roy gave a hint of what was to come. He found a bit of help in the ninth over, though, when Roy dropped him while flinging himself to his left at long-off, and failed to prevent the ball from going for six. That shot off Varun Chakravarthy brought up Bairstow's fifty, off 23 balls.

Bairstow went after Varun again in the 11th over, launching him for a six over long-off, chipping a four over the bowler's head, and swat-pulling him for another six. When Bairstow got to his hundred off 45 balls to end the 16th over, PBKS needed 52 from 24.

Shashank came to the crease when Narine, who somehow conceded just two fours and a six in his four overs, dismissed Rilee Rossouw for a 16-ball 26 in the 13th over. It was the first time he had batted above No. 6 for PBKS, and he quickly made his liking for the promotion evident, hitting Varun for back-to-back leg-side sixes when he had just faced three balls.

The game was tilting PBKS' way when the last four overs began, and the 16th made them clear favourites, as Shashank thumped Chameera for three sixes - a swat, a scoop, and a pull - as PBKS' required rate fell to less than two runs per ball. The match ended in a hurry, as Shashank clattered three more sixes, off Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh, and the crowd began to disperse even before the result was officially confirmed. Shashank was batting on 25 when Bairstow reached his hundred; the match ended with Shashank on 68 and Bairstow on 108.

PBKS dropped Salt twice and Narine once inside the first seven overs, and the two turbocharged openers ran away to 83 for no loss in that time. By the time KKR had reached the halfway point of their innings, they had added another 54 to their score. Narine reached his fifty in the eighth over, bringing it up 23 balls, and Salt got to his in the next over.

At the 10-over mark, ESPNcricinfo's Forecaster predicted a KKR total of 282.

PBKS finally separated the opening pair when Rahul Chahar got Narine to mishit a big shot and find Bairstow at long-on. Who knew then that Bairstow would have so much of a say later in the day?

KKR promoted Andre Russell up to No. 4, and he entered in the 13th over. Facing his second ball, he upper-cut Sam Curran for four to deep third. Chahar then bowled a quiet 14th over, conceding just seven runs, but it was only a temporary bit of respite, as Russell, Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer - who hit Curran for 6, 4, 6, 6 to end the 19th over - joined hands to take 85 off the last six overs.

KKR's total of 261 for 6 would have been the second-highest in IPL history if it had been made before this season. As it happened, it was only the seventh-highest at the halfway point of this game, and the eighth highest by the time it was done.