Punjab Kings Stand-In Skipper Sam Curran Says Cricket Turning Into Baseball

In a remarkable display of batting prowess, Punjab Kings (PBKS) chased down a record-breaking target of 262 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. PBKS achieved this feat with eight balls to spare at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday, breaking several records in the process, including the highest chase in a T20 match and the most sixes hit in an innings.

PBKS stand-in captain Sam Curran was astounded by the high-scoring nature of the game, which saw a total of 532 runs scored and 42 sixes hit, the most in a T20 game. Curran remarked, "Cricket is turning into baseball, isn't it? It was absolutely incredible." He was delighted with the win, which ended a four-match losing streak for PBKS, and praised the performances of Jonny Bairstow and Shashank Singh.

Bairstow, who struggled for form earlier in the season, hit a blistering unbeaten 108 off just 48 balls, including 9 sixes. Shashank Singh also played a belligerent innings, smashing an unbeaten 68 off 28 balls with eight sixes and two fours. Prabhsimran Singh contributed a quickfire 54 off 20 balls to set the tone for the record-breaking chase.

Why this matters: The match highlighted the increasing dominance of batting in the IPL, with several high-scoring totals being recorded in the current season. The phenomenon of high-scoring matches has become a concern, with cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar suggesting increasing the boundary sizes to give bowlers a better chance.

KKR captain Shreyas Iyer acknowledged that his team's bowling performance was not up to the mark, but he also praised the batting efforts of both teams. "We failed to defend the 262-run target. We need to go back to the drawing board and analyze where we went wrong," Iyer said. The previous record for the highest chase in the IPL was held by Rajasthan Royals, who had chased down 224 runs against KKR.

Key Takeaways

• PBKS chased down a record 262-run target against KKR in IPL 2024.
• The match saw 532 runs scored and 42 sixes hit, the most in a T20 game.
• Bairstow (108*) and Shashank Singh (68*) led PBKS' record-breaking chase.
• The high-scoring match highlights the increasing dominance of batting in IPL.
• KKR's 262-run target was the highest ever chase in IPL, surpassing Rajasthan Royals' 224.