Jonny Bairstow showcased his batting prowess with a remarkable second Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 century during Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) astonishing record run chase against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens on Friday (April 26). Punjab chased down a mammoth target with eight wickets in hand, largely fueled by Bairstow’s explosive innings. Partnering with Shashank Singh, who contributed a blistering 68 runs off just 28 balls, Bairstow found crucial support and played with immense confidence throughout the innings.

Jonny Bairstow’s aggressive innings turns the tide in favour of PBKS

Bairstow reached his century milestone in the 16th over, displaying exceptional timing and power in his strokeplay. It took him a mere 45 deliveries to achieve this feat, showcasing his aggressive intent right from the start. Despite facing pressure due to his previous low scores in the tournament, the explosive batter showed resilience and determination, reaching his fifty in just 23 balls. The strong foundation laid by the opening partnership of 93 runs in six overs, particularly with Prabhsimran Singh, set the tone for Bairstow’s explosive innings.

Bairstow’s dominance was particularly evident against Andre Russell, whom he targeted ruthlessly, scoring heavily in his second over. His innings was highlighted by powerful hitting, including a colossal six that soared 105 meters.

Also READ: IPL 2024: Herschelle Gibbs mocks Travis Head after the SRH batter fails against RCB

Sunil Narine and Phil Salt aggressive batting for KKR

Earlier, Sunil Narine and Phil Salt exhibited their aggressive batting prowess once again, taking full advantage of Punjab’s lapses in the field to dominate proceedings. Salt was the top-scorer with an impressive 75 runs, while Narine contributed a dynamic 71 to the team’s total. The quickfire cameos from Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer also made significant impacts on the scoreboard as the duo took KKR to 261/6. Despite their efforts, Rahul Chahar emerged as the most economical bowler for the opposition, conceding just 33 runs in his four overs and claiming one wicket. On the other hand, Arshdeep Singh stood out as Punjab’s standout bowler, securing two crucial wickets while conceding 45 runs in his quota of four overs.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

Phenomenal 💯 by Bairstow 👏🏾

— Robin Aiyuda Uthappa (@robbieuthappa) April 26, 2024

Cricket has changed. Mind set of batsmen has changed.

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) April 26, 2024

WOW

— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) April 26, 2024

Thought we ain’t getting a ton as crazy as Buttler & Stoinis Ton’s while chasing this IPL then Jonny bairstow woke up in a TWO HUNDRED & SIXTY CHASE

— arfan (@Im__Arfan) April 26, 2024

Jonny Bairstow becomes the FIRST player to score an IPL century while chasing 250+ total.

— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) April 26, 2024

They just chased down 262 in a T20 match with 8 balls to spare & got there with three singles in the end. Power-hitting standards have officially peaked. Being a bowler is officially a hazardous vocation #IPL2024 #KKRvPBKS pic.twitter.com/2WcHXfxwV7

— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) April 26, 2024

Punjab Kings chased the highest successful total in T20 cricket history 🤯🫡👊🔥#IPL2024 #KKRvPBKS
Scorecard: https://t.co/DEGGKQDAK1 #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/oDh8lTBSLX

— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) April 26, 2024

Bairstow has once again ascended to a higher plane, occupied by the likes of Viv Richards, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Sachin Tendulkar in the past.

— TakeADeepBreath (@DeepTake) April 26, 2024

My man Bairstow did a Brendon McCullum there 😭😭😭

— Heisenberg ☢ (@internetumpire) April 26, 2024

Beat century of #IPL2024 by Jonny Bairstow 🔥

— Sushant Mehta (@SushantNMehta) April 26, 2024

After a tough winter, a 45-ball IPL ton is a reminder of how destructive Jonny Bairstow can be.

If all are at their best, England will have a very dangerous top 4 for the T20 World Cup: Buttler, Salt, Jacks, Bairstow

— Tim Wigmore (@timwig) April 26, 2024

Prabhsimran Wow. Bairstow Wow. Shashank Wow

PBKS WoW

— ` (@bdrijalab) April 26, 2024

Wow, what a thrilling chase! Bairstow, Shashank, and Prabhsimran played exceptional innings to help Punjab Kings achieve such a monumental target. That must have been an electrifying match to watch!

— Pushkarkuntal (@Pushkarkuntal1) April 26, 2024

We take these learnings and look forward to the next challenge. pic.twitter.com/XDA6e9gtzn

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 26, 2024

Also READ: Yuvraj Singh reveals why Abhishek Sharma is still ‘not ready’ for the T20 World Cup 2024

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