Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) suffered an agonizing defeat against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2024's high-scoring thrilling match on April 26. The two-time IPL champions might take some time to recover from the defeat despite posting a monumental total of 261 on the board. PBKS pulled off a record chase at the Eden Gardens as they chased down the colossal target with eight wickets to spare, thanks to Jonny Bairstow's lightning century.
Bairstow's second career IPL ton powered PBKS to a stunning victory, chasing down a mammoth 262-run target with 8 wickets and 8 deliveries remaining. PBKS scripted a new record for the highest chase in T20 cricket history. This feat eclipses the previous record of 259 runs chased down by South Africa against West Indies in 2023. PBKS also rewrote the IPL record for most sixes in an innings, hammering a staggering 24 sixes. This surpasses the previous record of 22 sixes set by SunRisers Hyderabad earlier this month, when they also posted the IPL's highest-ever total of 287 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
As the Punjab Kings unleashed a barrage of sixes on a sweltering day in Kolkata, KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir could do little but observe the onslaught. However, his demeanor was notably more animated during the first innings when Sunil Narine (71 off 32 balls) and Phil Salt (75 off 37 balls) aggressively took on the PBKS bowlers.
Gautam Gambhir gets into heated exchange with umpire
Things got heated for Gambhir during KKR's batting. It all happened after the last ball of the 14th over. Russell swung his bat at a short ball outside off stump, aiming for cover. Ashutosh Sharma made a diving save inside the circle, then fired the ball to the wicketkeeper. But the throw was off target, allowing Russell to run for a single due to the overthrow. However, umpire Chaudhary shut down the run, saying he'd already signaled overthrows when Ashutosh stopped the ball. This call clearly upset Gambhir.
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There was a moment of controversy during the KKR vs PBKS match. While a questionable call went against KKR, their all-rounder Andre Russell didn't react much. However, former KKR player Gautam Gambhir, who was present at the stadium, was not happy. He was seen having a heated argument with the fourth umpire for quite some time before walking away, still expressing his displeasure.
In the end, this incident didn't affect the outcome of the match. The Punjab Kings batting line-up was on fire. Jonny Bairstow smashed an unbeaten century, while the young Prabhsimran Singh played a quickfire knock at the top. Later, Rilee Rossouw and Shashank Singh contributed with valuable cameos. Shashank, in particular, impressed with his six-hitting prowess, helping Punjab Kings secure their first victory in five games this season.
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