It was an absolute carnage by the batters at the iconic Eden Gardens in match 42 of Tata IPL 2024 when top-of-form Kolkata Knight Riders played against embattled Punjab Kings. On paper, KKR were the side that looked to add another two points, easily. Everything went in their favour. Smashing start in the powerplay by the opening pair of Sunil Narine and Phil Salt.
Batters such as Venkatesh Iyer, skipper Shreyas Iyer and dangerous Andre Russel also chipped in. AT the end of their innings, KKR had posted a monstrous score of 261/6. With humidity hovering somewhere around 80 per cent, dew was also an additional headache for Punjab Kings apart from the arduous chase. But overcoming their losses in previous close matches, the batting unit of Punjab Kings dazzled the Kolkata skyline with thunderous sixes and nifty boundaries.
Paying back for all the hammering in the 1st innings, PNKS batters punished every single KKR bowler. The home side was able to put some dent in the chase as they picked up wicket of Prabhsimran Singh (who came as an impact sub and gave a stunning start) and Rilee Rossouw, who tried keeping up with Jonny Bairstow and couldn’t do much.
It was the third wicket partnership between Bairstow and Shashank Singh that did the unthinkable – Punjab Kings successfully chased down the target of 262 runs. This is the first time in the history of T20 cricket that any side has been able to win the match with that kind of chase.
Friday was a fantastic day for batters. Eden witnessed 523 runs that featured record-breaking 42 sixes by both teams!