Which way is cricket going? When it came to entertainment value, Punjab King’s triumph over Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens was spectacular, but what did bowlers take away from the match? In the past, 220 runs seemed to be plenty at any Indian stadium, but tonight, even KKR’s 261 runs were insufficient to halt Punjab’s onslaught. Is this encouraging for cricket? Will it encourage younger players to pick up the ball? There are too many inquiries, but who will respond?
But nothing can ever take away from Punjab’s incredible IPL chase record. Phil Salt and Sunil Narine both caused havoc in the powerplay as the hosts batted first and got off to a fantastic start. At one point, KKR were in a strong position after Salt scored 75 runs off 32 balls and Narine scored 71 runs off 32 deliveries. Later, after brief cameos from Andre Russell and Shreyas Iyer, KKR scored 261 runs, which Shreyas felt was sufficient to win.
Jonny Bairstow and Prabhsimrah Singh gave the KKR bowlers no place to breathe when it came to the chase. They started the evening with a powerplay of 93 runs, which established the tone. With eight balls remaining, Punjab won by eight wickets, with Bairstow smashing his second century in the IPL and Shashank scoring 68* off 28 balls. As previously questioned, where is cricket heading? When will we witness 300 being pursued in Twenty20 cricket? All the solutions, nevertheless, lie in time.
1. A nightmare for bowling players
In 38.4 overs, 523 runs were scored at the Eden. To say that there is carnage sounds understated. But how can one inspire the bowlers to bounce back and return to action in two or three days? Collaboration between the BCCI and pitch curators is necessary to create better pitches that support bowlers rather than create thoroughfares. Regrettably, it appears like cricket is become a game for batters.
2. Narine defending Orange Cap
Nobody could have predicted, even a few years before the IPL 2024, that Narine would challenge for the Orange Cap after the tournament’s halfway point. Since this is the IPL, anything may happen during the competition. Having amassed 357 runs in eight matches, including 71 against PBKS, he now trails Virat Kohli in the Orange Cap standings.
3. The Blitzkrieg in Bairstow
Given that the Englishman was going through a really trying time, Bairstow’s century will give him more confidence. In his first game back with the team against KKR, he scored 108* runs off of 48 deliveries to help PBKS win handily. At Eden, Punjab made history as other batsmen provided him with good middle-field support.
Also read: IPL 2024 Qualification Scenarios: In the event that Kolkata Knight Riders lose to PBKS in Match 42, how can they still make it to the playoffs?
Losing skipper Shreyas Iyer said:
I would have (taken 260 at the start of the day). The way the batters batted was tremendous to see, Sunny coming in.. the way Salt batted, they delivered and it was a treat for the eyes. Both the teams played tremendously, one of those games where you go back to the drawing board and see where it went wrong especially not being able to defend 260. We have to sum up the conditions and come up with better ideas. It is brilliant to see him (Narine) go out there and strike the ball, hopefully he keeps continuing with such performances.
Winning skipper Sam Curran said:
I would have (taken 260 at the start of the day). The way the batters batted was tremendous to see, Sunny coming in.. the way Salt batted, they delivered and it was a treat for the eyes. Both the teams played tremendously, one of those games where you go back to the drawing board and see where it went wrong especially not being able to defend 260. We have to sum up the conditions and come up with better ideas. It is brilliant to see him (Narine) go out there and strike the ball, hopefully he keeps continuing with such performances.
Player of the Match, Jonny Bairstow, said:
We got off to a good start. That was the key. They got off to a good start as well thanks to Sunil. You have to take risks. Sometimes luck will go your way. Some days it won’t be your day. Tried to whack it as far as possible. If it is in your area, you had to go. We had a couple of quiet overs when it was Sunil. Shashank Singh is a special player. The knowledge he has had been amazing. How clean he hit it! Was indeed very special.
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