Bairstow’s century powers Punjab Kings to beat KKR

KATHMANDU: After Jonny Bairstow’s splendid century, Punjab Kings defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 8 wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday.

Chasing a target of 262 runs, Punjab’s innings were powered by Bairstow’s century and significant contributions from Prabhsimran Singh and Shahrukh Khan, who both scored half-centuries.

They achieved the target with 8 wickets and 2 balls to spare.

Bairstow scored a stunning 106 runs off 48 balls, including 9 sixes and 8 fours.

Similarly, Shahrukh Khan added 68 runs off 28 balls, featuring 8 sixes and 2 fours.

Prabhsimran Singh contributed 54 runs off 20 balls, with 5 sixes and 4 fours.

Riley Meredith and Ravi Bishnoi each took 1 wicket for Kolkata.

Earlier, after losing the toss and being invited to bat, Kolkata managed to score 161 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in the allotted 20 overs.

Sunil Narine and Fidel Edwards led the charge with half-centuries, setting a strong foundation.

Narine scored 75 runs off 37 balls, including 6 sixes and 7 fours, while Edwards added 71 runs off 32 balls, with 9 fours and 4 sixes.

Despite their efforts, other batsmen also tried to stabilize the innings.

Ben Cutting scored 39 off 23 balls, Andre Russell added 24 off 12 balls, and Shreyas Iyer contributed 28 runs off 10 balls.

For Punjab, Arshdeep Singh took 2 wickets, while Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, and Sahil Chahar claimed 1 wicket each.

Punjab Kings currently have 6 points from 9 matches, occupying the eighth position, while Kolkata Knight Riders are in the second position with 10 points from 10 matches.

Rajasthan Royals lead the points table with 14 points.

In Saturday’s IPL matches, Delhi Capitals will face Mumbai Indians, while Lucknow Super Giants will take on Rajasthan Royals.