KOLKATA, India (AP) — Jonny Bairstow’s unbeaten century off 45 balls spearheaded Punjab Kings to the highest successful run chase in Indian Premier League history on Friday.
Punjab scaled Kolkata Knight Riders’ impressive 261-6 with a stunning 262-2 to win by eight wickets with eight balls to spare.
Opener Bairstow finished 108 not out off 48 balls, Shashank Singh was 68 not out off 28, and the other opener Prabhsimran Singh posted 54 off 20 as Punjab ended a four-match run.
Eden Gardens was sprayed with 24 sixes by Punjab after 18 by the home side.
Prabhsimran Singh set the pace early on, hitting four fours and five sixes as he and Bairstow produced Punjab’s best ever power play score. Prabhsimran Singh was run out at the end of the sixth over at 93-1.
Bairstow reached his half-century off 23 balls and accelerated to 100 off the next 22. His second IPL hundred included nine sixes and eight boundaries.
Bairstow and Riley Rossouw put on 85 off 39 balls for the second wicket.
Punjab had 150 in only 11 overs, and when Rossouw was caught at 178-2 in the 13th over, it still needed 84 off the remaining 45 balls.
Shashank Singh helped cross that finish line off only 37 balls by smacking eight sixes and reducing Bairstow to a spectator.
Shashank Singh’s fifty came off only 23 balls, and he and Bairstow added an unbeaten 84 off 37 balls.
Only off-spin allrounder Sunil Narine kept Punjab in checking by taking 1-24.
In the first innings, Kolkata openers Narine and Phil Salt combined for 138 runs.
Salt scored 75 off 37 balls, including six fours and six sixes, and Narine kept up his purple patch with 71 off 32 balls, hitting four sixes. They were back in the hut with 45 balls to go, leaving the rest of Kolkata’s batters to play catchup.
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh took 2-45 to peg back Kolkata in the middle overs.
But Venkatesh Iyer added 40 off 18 balls with Andre Russell (24) and another 43 off 18 balls with skipper Shreyas Iyer (28).
Kolkata finished with its second highest total in this IPL but suffered a third loss in eight games to remain second on the table.
Punjab jumped over Mumbai Indians to eighth on net run rate.
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