PBKS hunt down record 262!
A few paras to possibly try and sum up the evening:
Like temperatures across the whole of India, runs and sixes this IPL seem to be going only one way - up north. In an unbelievably ruthless piece of batting, Punjab Kings hunted down 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders to record the highest successful chase in all of T20 history. That included 144 runs from sixes alone, which was 36 less than what KKR hit from the maximums.
In the process, Jonny Bairstow roared back to form to smack his second IPL hundred to provide a big boost to both England and PBKS. Shashank Singh, one of PBKS’ finds of the season, clubbed 68* from only 32 balls, eight of which disappeared beyond the boundary. PBKS won with eight balls to spare, but amid all that, Sunil Narine stood apart with figures of 4-0-24-1 for KKR.
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Hundred for Bairstow; PBKS sailing
In an unbelievably ruthless piece of batting, PBKS need only another 34 from the remaining 18 balls in a chase of 262 on a T20. In the process, Bairstow belts a 45-ball century, his second in IPL cricket.
Oh, who would ever care to listen that I grew up in an era when 262 even in an ODI was considered more than enough? Getting back into present, PBKS 228 for 2 in 17 overs.
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What can Narine not do?
This evening, he already rammed 71 from 32 balls. He has 357 runs this season, which is the second-most. With the ball, he bowls a spell of 4-0-24-1. That included bowling the 15th over, where he gave away only five runs. As per our forecaster, that effort boosted KKR's chances from 24.37% to 54.38%.
That spell also makes him the second-most economical bowler this IPL, for anyone to have bowled at least 20 overs.
Plus, there was a direct hit from him to run Prabhsimran out.
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Russell tastes his own medicine
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Rossouw started with a pull, and Bairstow repeated that twice. Russell being given a taste of his own medicine, as PBKS bash their way to 173 for 1 after only 12 overs. Their required run rate is down to 11.12, which was 13.10 at the start.
Who is going to win?
575 votesKKR
PBKS
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Lucky Bairstow past fifty
11.08 That's the percentage of chance which our forecaster gives PBKS halfway into the chase.
Bairstow got to his fifty off 23 balls when he slogged Varun Chakravarthy over long-off on the fifth ball of the ninth over. But that was six only because Anukul Roy flew to his left but still dropped the ball beyond the boundary.
Next over, Russell bowled short and at a change of pace. But Bairstow still swiped him for four to fine leg. PBKS 132 for 1 after ten, with Rillee Rossouw pulling one for six too.
Meanwhile, Bairstow's Hindi skills seem to be as good as his batting:
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Prabh, Bairstow Kings
93 PBKS' highest ever powerplay total in IPL history. The previous best of 86 had come ten years ago.
This is how Jonny Bairstow dealt with Anukul Roy's left-arm spin to end the powerplay:
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Almost a shame that Prabhsimran was run-out off the last ball, with Narine's direct hit from short fine leg catching him short at the striker's end. Prabhsimran blasted 54 off 20 balls, though, with PBKS 93 for 1 after six.
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Prabshsimran's early impact
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PBKS brought in Prabhsimran Singh as Impact Sub to replace Arshdeep at the start of the chase. Second over, Prabhsimran whipped and ramped Harshit Rana for six.
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Next over, he went across early, and scooped KKR's debutant Chameera over short fine leg for six more. The third delivery was swatted over cover. When Chameera went really slow at 108kph, Prabhsimran was ready and waiting. Six over long-off! Sixth ball? He dances down, and chips over the bowler's head to take 23 off Chameera. PBKS 45 for 0 after three. The chase is on!
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Another 250-plus total
KKR have scaled 261 for 6. The is the fifth time this season that teams batting first have crossed 250. KKR have done that twice, and SRH have achieved that three times.
Ask Andrew Fidel Fernando, and he thinks batters are smacking the ball around like it has taken away their first-born, and it's not pretty. Fidel has a plea: It's too many runs, somebody make it stop.
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Shreyas smashes Sam
I'll take credit for that tongue-twister headline. But the inspiration only came from Shreyas Iyer's treatment of Sam Curran off the last four balls of the 18th over:
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A pull over square leg off a short ball, a drive through cover, a flick over deep square, and a slice over point.
The KKR captain eventually departs for 28 off ten balls, as he finds deep third in attempting to scythe Arshdeep in the 19th over. KKR 246 for 4 after 18.3. In comes Rinku to blow the horn further.
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Russell vs PBKS' left-arm bowlers
They talk about match-ups as much as climate change these days. All the chatter is about taking the ball away from the batter. Heading into this match, this is what Russell's record read against PBKS' left-armers in action tonight: strike rate of 221 against Curran (62 off 28 balls, with three dismissals); 191 against Brar (23 from 12, with no wicket); and 184 against Arshdeep (24 off 13, one wicket).
But Arshdeep does get Russell for 24 off 12 balls. However, that has come only after Russell has clubbed two fours and sixes each to pile up 23 from ten deliveries against the three left-armers. KKR 203 for 3 after 15.3 overs.
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How much is too much?
We are 13 overs into KKR's innings. They have crashed 169 already. Narine has departed, but it hardly ends there. Russell has replaced him after Curran bowled Salt for 75 halfway into the 13th over, and already upper-cut Curran for four off his second ball.
244 Our forecaster gives KKR this score after 20 overs. Remember, we are in a record IPL batting season already. Brace for more!
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Chahar bags Narine; KKR slow down
PBKS finally hold on to a catch. Jonny Bairstow, stationed at long-on, takes one low, as Narine went heaving at a wrong 'un from Chahar. Narine departed after pumping 71 off just 32 balls. That wicket came in the 11th over, and PBKS have, since then, used spin to slow KKR down.
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KKR 151 for 1 after 12.
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KKR floor Kings
Salt reaches his third fifty of the season off the fourth ball of the ninth over. He waits for a legbreak from Chahar to arrive outside off, and hammers it between long-off and deep point. He is on 52 after nine overs, albeit after getting two lives. But sometimes even luck tends to favour you when you opt for more risks. KKR 118 for 0 after nine, with Narine having clubbed 60 from 27.
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More Salt on the wounds
Kagiso Rabada turns Superman, but he still can't hold on. Rahul Chahar, who has hardly had a great season this time, went short and wide-ish outside off to Salt. The KKR batter went hacking towards point, and Rabada flung himself to his right. But the ball dropped off his hands, and gave Salt another life.
And in a reminder, Salt's strike rate for anyone to have faced at least 50 balls in the middle overs this IPL is 156. That is higher than any of PBKS' batters. KKR 82 without loss after 6.5 overs.
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Curran gives Salt a life
Off the fifth ball of the last over of the powerplay, Arshdeep Singh angles one across to on the fuller side of a length just outside off. Phil Salt, frustrated after three dots in a row, looks to loft, but finds his England team-mate Sam Curran waiting at mid-off. Curran spills the catch, with the ball coming on towards his chest. Salt dropped on 34. KKR 76 for 0 after six.
223 That is what our forecaster gives KKR after 20 overs today. Going by recent history, you could safely bet on more, though.
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Kolkata's Knights Racing...
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This is the sequence of the third and fourth overs. KKR are 59 for 0 after four overs. While Salt has rubbed 24 runs off 12 balls, his partner Narine has eight more from the same number of deliveries.
Our senior reporter Nagraj Gollapudi went hunting for the methods behind Narine's madness. And he ended up discovering about the KKR thrasher's art of whack, boom, kapow.
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Brar drops Narine!
Harshal Patel went for a slower delivery on a wide line outside off, with the length being on the shorter side. And like an expert batter at his peak - exactly what Narine seems to be at the moment - he opened the face of the bat pretty late. The ball chipped to the right of Harpreet Brar at backward point, as Brar went half-leaping across, but put the ball down. Narine was on 16 off seven balls at that stage, with signs already of him multiplying that score by at least five teams. KKR 22 without loss after 2.2 overs.
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K(KR)aboom!
11.91 Run rate of the partnership between Salt and Narine this season. That is the second-highest for any opening pair to have faced at least 120 balls.
In fact, KKR also have the second-best run rate of 10.97 in the powerplay this IPL.
Of course there are no prizes for guessing that SRH top both the above numbers in IPL 2024.
How many do you see KKR piling up tonight?
255 votes180-200
200-220
220-plus
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Team news
Sam Curran again walks out to lead PBKS, with Shikhar Dhawan expected to be fit only for their next game. And PBKS opt to bowl first. Bairstow replaces Livingstone for them. Shreyas Iyer, KKR's captain, says Starc cut his finger in the last game. So Chameera replaces Starc.
KKR: Salt, Narine, Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer, Rinku, Russell, Ramandeep, Varun, Harshit and Chameera
PBKS: Bairstow, Curran, Rossouw, Jitesh, Shashank, Ashutosh, Harpreet, Harshal, Rabada, Arshdeep and Chahar
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Starc's stars not shining
He came into KKR's dressing room with INR 24.5cr in his pocket. But seven games later, he has leaked as many as 287 runs across 25 overs. The economy rate is at 11.48 - the highest for anyone to have bowled at least 25 overs this IPL. The average is 47.83, which is right up in the stars. And Rajan Raj from Eden Gardens reports that Starc didn't practice in the lead-up the today's game, even as Dushmantha Chameera gets his KKR cap from none other than... Starc!
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Hello!
Two teams at the opposite ends of the points table. KKR, the hosts, seem to have so much power that each time the ball crash-lands in the stands or beyond. But PBKS, the visitors, look so powerless that even luck seems to desert them. They have lost four in a row, but have a look at the margin of those defeats: three wickets (five balls remaining), nine runs, three wickets (one ball remaining), and two runs. In short, a matter of just two or three balls going either way.
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