Epic Clash at Eden Gardens:
The City of Joy, Kolkata, bore witness to a historical clash on April 26, 2024. What unraveled between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings was a spectacle never seen before in the annals of T20 cricket. The game featured the highest run chase in T20 history, with Punjab Kings creating a new world record, paced by an exceptional century from Jonny Bairstow. The Kings pursued the mammoth target of 262 runs set by Knight Riders and reached it with eight balls to spare, delivering an emphatic 8-wicket win.
In the annals of the game, never had such a high chase been achieved as on this fateful evening. Just last year on March 26th, against West Indies, South Africa set the previous T20 record of 259/4. In the IPL, Rajasthan Royals equaled their own 224-run chase record against KKR at Eden Gardens on April 16th, 2024—a record they previously set in Sharjah on September 27th, 2020, against Punjab Kings with a score of 223/2. In the poignant face-off in Sharjah, Rajasthan Royals responded with a powerful pursuit of 226 runs.
Circulating back to the April 26, 2024, match-up: KKR batting first, posted a daunting 261/6. Punjab Kings completed the chase impressively early, powered by openers Phil Salt (75 off 37 balls) and Sunil Narine (71 off 32 balls), whose partnership of 138 runs laid the groundwork for this historic chase.
In response, Punjab Kings were equally aggressive off the bat, scoring 93 runs for 1 in the powerplay. Prabhsimran Singh managed a swift 20-ball 54 before being run out. However, it was Jonny Bairstow who seized the narrative, blasting a 48-ball 108, ably supported by Shashank Singh's quickfire 68 off 28 balls.
Now, let's glance at the records set during this match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings:
Most Sixes in a T20 Match:
A staggering 42 sixes were hit during the match, surpassing the total of 38 sixes hit in matches between SRH & MI and last week's RCB & SRH clash in Bangalore.
Most Sixes by a Team in T20:
Punjabs Kings smashed 24 sixes during their chase against KKR, which stands after the 26 sixes Nepal hit against Mongolia last year as the second-highest in any T20 match. It also sets the IPL record for the most sixes by a team in any match, eclipsing SRH's previous week's tally against RCB and DC.
Highest T20 Aggregate:
The cumulative total of 523 runs at Eden Gardens that day is the second-highest after the RCB & SRH match in Bangalore on April 15, 2024, which amassed 549 runs.
A First in IPL History:
For the first time in a single IPL match, four opening batsmen scored 50 or more – Phil Salt (75), Sunil Narine (71), Prabhsimran Singh (54), and Jonny Bairstow (108*).
Adding to the notable figures, this IPL match saw the making of 5 half-centuries with strike rates over 200. Salt (25 balls), Narine (23), Prabhsimran (18), Bairstow (23), and Shashank Singh (23) all blasted runs at a rate exceeding 200—marking a first for men's T20 where ball-by-ball data is available.
Punjab's Fastest IPL Century:
The night's contributions included Bairstow's 45-ball century against KKR, which settles among Punjab King's fastest hundred.
Pioneering T20 Run Chase:
This monumental chase game now sits at the apex of successful T20 run chases, with the results being – Punjab Kings 262/2 vs KKR in Kolkata, IPL 2024.
Witnessing this high-octane game go down in history, the IPL 2024 has been graced with an incredible performance by Punjab Kings that will be remembered for ages.
