Openers Sunil Narine and Philip Salt delighted the Eden Gardens crowd with a scintillating batting display, propelling the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a commanding 261-6 against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match on Friday.
The 138-run partnership between Narine and Salt was the eighth 100-plus opening stand for KKR in IPL history, and the first since Narine and Chris Lynn combined for 105 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru back in 2017.
Salt smashed a magnificent 75 runs off just 37 balls, while Narine played a fine knock of 71 runs in 32 deliveries. Shreyas Iyer chipped in with a valuable 28, and Venkatesh Iyer finished with a lively 39-run cameo, helping KKR post a formidable total.
Aggressive Start
Put in to bat, Narine and Salt got off to an aggressive start, leaving the PBKS bowlers looking helpless as KKR raced to 76-0 in the powerplay.
Salt took particular delight in Harshal Patel's third over, hammering the pacer for 18 runs, including two sixes and a four. The next over saw the openers smoke Kagiso Rabada for 21 runs, with three boundaries and a maximum.
Partnerships and Dismissals
PBKS stand-in captain Sam Curran brought Rabada back into the attack, but the decision backfired as Narine and Salt continued their assault, taking 22 runs off the pacer with back-to-back boundaries.
Salt continued his good form, reaching his half-century in just 25 balls. Rahul Chahar finally provided the breakthrough for PBKS, dismissing Narine for 71.
Curran ended Salt's dominant knock in the 13th over, with the batter departing for a well-made 75 off 37.
Late Flourish
Andre Russell, in red-hot form this tournament, came out to bat and briefly hammered the PBKS bowlers for 24 runs before falling to Arshdeep Singh.
KKR captain Shreyas Iyer continued the momentum, smashing PBKS skipper Curran for 24 runs with three sixes and a four. However, both Iyer and Rinku Singh fell at short intervals.
Venkatesh Iyer kept the momentum going for KKR, and he and Ramandeep Singh added 12 runs in the last over to propel KKR to a strong total of 261-6 in their 20 overs.
Brief Scores:
KKR 261/6 (Philip Salt 75, Sunil Narine 71; Arshdeep Singh 2-45) vs PBKS
