R Ashwin calls on BCCI to “SAVE THE BOWLERS” during the historic PBKS vs. KKR match

In a thrilling IPL match, Phil Salt’s aggressive 75 off 37 and Sunil Narine’s fast 71 off 32 helped the Knight Riders (KKR) post a formidable 261/6 in 20 overs. However, the Kings (PBKS) chased down the target with remarkable efficiency, winning by 8 wickets with 8 balls remaining, thanks to Jonny Bairstow’s outstanding unbeaten 108 off 48 balls, which earned him the title of Player of the Match. The thrilling encounter was enhanced by Arshdeep Singh’s 2/45 (4) and Sunil Narine’s 1/24 (4), which led to the Kings’ incredible triumph at Eden Gardens.

R Ashwin publishes a call to action for the 2024 IPL season.
A team total of 160–180 was formerly seen to be very competitive in T20 cricket. The high-scoring game between the Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday night, however, suggests that IPL 2024 is determined to disprove that idea.

In their allocated 20 overs, KKR set a challenging goal of 261/6, assisted along by outstanding half-centuries from openers Sunil Narine and Phil Salt. With that kind of overwhelming margin, the two-time champs seemed destined for an easy victory.

But Jonny Bairstow struck a century and Shashank Singh wrecked havoc on the KKR bowlers at Eden Gardens, as PBKS swiftly crushed KKR’s hopes. With eight deliveries left, they destroyed the target, turning KKR’s hope into sadness.

A spectacular 523 runs were scored in the match, including 42 sixes and 37 fours, showcasing the relentless assaults of both sides. Offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin of India responded to the assault with a ‘SOS’ to the smashed bowlers, highlighting the enormous difficulty they had in containing the batsmen’s attack.

When it became apparent that PBKS would only have nine runs left to chase in the final two overs, the startling feature of their run-chase was revealed.

This season has witnessed a lot of high-scoring matches, with seven of the top ten highest team totals in IPL history being achieved. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) holds the top two positions with scores of 287/3 and 277/3, respectively, highlighting their outstanding batting achievements throughout the season.

In the 42 games that have been played so far, teams have scored 200 runs 24 times, showcasing the level playing fields and the batsmen’s relentless aggressiveness against the bowlers. This graph shows how crucial batting ability will be in the Indian Premier League in 2024.