Cameron Green lauded star batter Virat Kohli for playing a “vintage” innings to keep RCB in the race. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Cameron Green lauded star batter Virat Kohli for playing a “vintage” innings to keep Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the race to the IPL playoffs.

Kohli made full use of the three reprieves, including one on zero, to make a 47-ball 92 that set the tone for their 60-run win over Punjab Kings in a must-win match here on May 9.

“He played the vintage Virat that we all know. It was a beautiful watch from the other end. That’s the beauty of having Virat in your team, as opposition you can’t give him that many chances,” said Green in the post-match press meet.

The Australian all-rounder, who helped himself to a 27-ball 46, said Kohli was trying to be aggressive and the drops did not affect him.

“He’s always going to make you hurt, especially if you drop him three or four times. Early in his innings, he was trying to be really aggressive. I think he looked like after a couple of dropped catches, he didn’t have much to lose,” added Green.

The Bengaluru side still need to win their remaining two matches against Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings at home to remain in the mix for playoffs.

Green said the team has done well to win four matches on the bounce after a string of defeats.

“Yeah, I think what we’ve done really well is just look at the next game. I think obviously at the start of the tournament you can always look further at what’s coming up, where are we on the table.”

“But I think that’s the beauty of where we were at (now), we kind of were pushed into a corner and all we could really do was focus on the next game,” he added

Meanwhile, Punjab Kings assistant coach Brad Haddin blamed the dropped catches for his side’s defeat.

The Kings let-off Kohli and Green more than once and they bruised them with quickfire knocks as RCB posted a tall 241 for seven.

In reply, PBKS could only manage 181 before getting bundled out.

“100 percent we lost the match because of dropped catches. If we look through the game, we dropped two guys on a duck, and both of them scored big runs. That was where the game was lost.

“There was not too much difference in the batting and bowling of both teams. The catches we put down cost us the game,” said Haddin.

Punjab Kings’ Jonny Bairstow celebrates after scoring a century during the Indian Premier League cricket match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata on April 26, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Jonny Bairstow was at his destructive best to smash an unbeaten 108 (48b, 8×4, 9×6) and helped Punjab Kings create history by overhauling host Kolkata Knight Riders’ record score of 261, by eight wickets, at the Eden Gardens here on Friday.

With this incredible achievement, Punjab Kings became the team to record the highest successful run-chase in the annals of all T20 matches.

Chasing the massive score put up by the host, which was the highest T20 total at the venue, Punjab Kings decided to bring in Prabhsimran Singh as the Impact Player (for Arshdeep Singh). The decision paid rich dividends as the opening batter took the KKR bowling attack to the cleaners, hitting boundaries and sixes at will.

The home side, which brought in Sri Lankan speedster Dushmantha Chameera in place of Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc, failed to make a mark as Prabhsimran and Bairstow struck a 93-run partnership for the opening wicket.

Prabhsimran (54, 20b, 4×4, 5×6) played the lead role before getting run out by a direct throw from Sunil Narine.

The worst sufferer in the demolition process was Anukul Roy, the left-arm spinner whom KKR brought as Impact Player (for Venkatesh Iyer). Anukul gave away 36 in his two overs as Bairstow took over the task of annihilating the KKR bowling.

The English batter raced to his century in 45 balls. After his opening stand with Prabhsimran, Bairstow constructed two more partnerships — 85 for the second wicket with Rilee Rossouw before finishing the innings with an unbroken stand of 84 with Shashank Singh. The latter remained unbeaten on 68 off 28 balls, hitting two boundaries and eight sixes.

Earlier, KKR rode on the belligerence of its openers Phil Salt and Sunil Narine to reach 261 in its 20 overs. Salt emerged KKR’s top scorer with a 75 (37b, 6×4, 6×6), while Narine made 71 (32b, 9×4, 4×6).

That the Knight Riders’ opening partnership flourished was largely due to the largesse of the PBKS fielders who dropped three catches to help the deadly duo unleash a barrage of boundaries and sixes.

Narine, who was dropped by Hardeep Brar off the bowling of Harshal Patel in the third over when he was 16, utilised the reprieve to spectacular effect. Narine, when on 59, also saw the DRS working in his favour. A leg-before decision by the umpire was overturned as Rahul Chahar’s delivery was going over leg-stump.The charmed lives of the KKR opening duo continued further as Salt earned two ‘lives’ in the sixth and seventh overs before being dismissed on 75 (37b, 6×4, 6×6) in the 13th over when the score read 163.

Brief scores

Kolkata Knight Riders: 261/6 in 20 overs (Phil Salt 75, Sunil Narine 71).

Punjab Kings: 262/2 in 18.4 overs (Jonny Bairstow 108, Prabhsimran Singh 54, Shashank Singh 68).