The high-flying Kolkata Knight Riders, who had registered two unimaginable back-to-back wins have been introduced all the way down to earth as Brook decimated the KKR bowlers powering SRH to a mammoth 228 for 4 after hosts skipper Nitish Rana invited them to bat first.
The 24-year-old Brook, who was purchased for a whopping Rs 13.25 crore on the public sale, lastly cracked the IPL code as he fired up his maiden ton on this planet’s largest T20 cricket league.
The Sunrisers bowlers, regardless of some hammering from dwelling skipper Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh managed to limit the hosts to 205 for 7 in 20 overs.
As It Happened
Brook, who was roped in after his exploits in Pakistan, lastly introduced his arrival in model, when he smashed 4 fours and two sixes inside first three overs to present SRH the perfect begin of the season.
Brook had managed solely 29 in first three video games however discovered his rhythm with a 55-ball-100 as he smashed 12 fours and three sixes. This was sixteenth version’s first century.
In reply, it was all the time going to be tough for KKR to take care of a run-rate of 11 plus per over however skipper Rana (75 off 41 balls) did launch into SRH bowlers with half a dozen sixes and had ‘Man of the Moment’ Rinku Singh (58 not out off 31 balls) for firm of their 69-run stand off solely 6.2 overs. This was after KR have been diminished to 96 fo 5 inside first 10 overs.
Once T Natarajan removed Rana, it was left to Rinku to tug off one more heist as 57 have been wanted off final three overs.
But Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/29 in 4 overs) gave 10 within the 18th over whereas Natarajan (1/54 in 4 overs) went for 16 within the penultimate over.
With Rinku on strike and 32 wanted off final over, Umran Malik (1/36 in 2 overs) got here again nicely to dismiss Shardul Thakur with the primary supply and successfully sealing the sport because the southpaw was stranded on the different finish for first two deliveries. Rinku face 4 balls however Umran bowled quick and full to maintain him below verify with solely eight runs being conceded.
Brook ‘Bonds’ with SRH philosophy
Earlier, having acquired a reprieve on 45, when he was dropped by rookie leg-spinner Suyash Sharma a straightforward likelihood off his personal bowling, Brook acquired to his 50 off 32 balls.
Brook additionally overturned a caught-behind choice off Lockie Ferguson when on 61, as he hammered the Kiwi fiery pacer in the identical over 5 fours, en path to the primary century of the season, which got here off a single off Umesh Yadav within the last over.
Skipper Aiden Markram additionally performed an impactful innings within the center when he raced to a 26-ball fifty because the duo stitched collectively 72 runs from 47 balls.
After Markram’s departure, younger left-handed batter Abhishek Sharma (32; 17b) gave a advantageous help because the duo additionally added 72 runs (33b) to pile on KKR’s distress.
Heinrich Klaasen then performed a cameo of 16 not out in six balls as SRH dished out a superlative batting show after KKR opted to bowl.
Barring Caribbeans, Sunil Narine (4-0-28-0) and Andre Russell (2.1-0-22-3) who pulled a muscle and couldn’t full his overs, not one of the KKR bowlers did not impress.
The day absolutely belonged to the English batter, who carried his bat replicating his success in Pakistan Super League (PSL), the place he had scored 264 runs for Lahore Qalandars in eight innings, which included a century, at a strike charge of 171.4 in 2022 version.
Brook additionally has eye-popping numbers in Tests and has scored 809 runs with 4 centuries and three fifties in 10 innings.
KKR could have missed the trick by giving him some straightforward tempo fodder to start with as Brook was glad to take Yadav to cleaners, whereas the fiery Ferguson was wayward, each conceding 14 runs of their opening overs.
From 43 for no loss in three overs, Sunil Narine managed to tug them in a tidy fourth over that completely set it up for Andre Russell to inflict a double blow.
Bowling for the primary time this season, the Jamaican dismissed Mayank Agarwal (9; 13b) straightway earlier than pulling a muscle.
Russell nonetheless managed to complete the over and took the wicket of in-form Rahul Tripathi within the last-ball to present KKR the important opening.
But Brook and skipper Markram batted sensibly, particularly towards Narine and raced to fast fifties to maintain their run-rate close to the 10-run mark.
The SRH skipper gave Brook a advantageous help and negotiated the center overs nicely in an entertaining 72-run partnership that got here off simply 47 balls.
(With inputs from PTI)
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Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com