KKR vs PBKS: Jonny Bairstow Hammers His 2nd IPL Ton As He Puts Punjab On Track For Record-Breaking Run-Chase

Punjab Kings' opener Jonny Bairstow has hammered his 2nd IPL ton in the ongoing clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on Friday. The Englishman reached the three-figure mark in the 16th over of the innings with a brace off Harshit Rana's bowling and took only 45 deliveries to get there.

Bairstow, who replaced Liam Livingstone in the playing XI, was under pressure due to his low scores in this year's edition. However, the Yorkshire batter showed intent from almost the get go, reaching his half-century off only 23 balls. The opening stand of 93 in 6 overs with Prabhsimran Singh, who was run-out for 54, played a massive role in giving that head start to Bairstow.

The keeper-batter was especially ruthless against Andre Russell, who leaked 24 runs in his 2nd over. While Rilee Rossouw clobbered one, Bairstow went on to hammer two more, including one that travelled 105 meters.

KKR openers set the foundation for a 262-run-chase after Sam Curran wins toss:

Meanwhile, Sunil Narine and Phil Salt were once again at their belligerent best as Punjab Kings' sloppy fielding gave license to the openers to hammer boundaries for fun. Salt top-scored with 75, while Narine smashed 71.

The likes of Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer also played their parts to significant effects with their cameos. Deepak Chahar was their most economical bowler with figures of 4-0-33-1, while Arshdeep Singh was the pick of their bowlers with 4-0-45-2.