IPL 2024 – KKR vs PBKS – Jonny Bairstow bests Sunil Narine as Punjab Kings pull off record T20 chase
Punjab Kings 262 for 2 (Bairstow 108*, Shashank 68*, Prabhsimran 54, Narine 1-24) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 261 for 6 (Salt 75, Narine 71, Arshdeep 2-45) by eight wickets
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.
