Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 27 : Opener Prabhsimran Singh hit the third-fastest fifty for Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday. The 23-year-old achieved the landmark during the match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2024 at Eden Gardens.
Prabhsimran's 54-run knock from 20 balls set the momentum of PBKS' batting lineup. The opener hammered 4 fours and 5 sixes against the KKR bowlers.
The PBKS opener took just 18 balls to hit the half-century against KKR and holds third place on the list. KL Rahul stands in the top place on the list with his 14-ball fifty against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 2018 season of the tournament. Meanwhile, with a 17-ball half-century against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2020, Nicholas Pooran placed in the second spot on the list.
Prabhsimran reached another milestone of PBKS batters scoring 50-plus runs within the powerplay during the match against KKR on Friday. He scored 54 runs in the first six overs in the run-chase inning of the game. Meanwhile, Jonny Bairstow holds the top spot after he scored 54 runs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 2022 season.
Coming to the match, Punjab sent Kolkata to bat first after winning the toss. Following this, Sunil Narine (71) and Philip Salt (75) delighted the Eden Gardens crowd with an exhilarating batting display and obliterated Punjab Kings (PBKS) bowlers to power KKR to 261/6 in 20 overs.
Arshdeep Singh led the PBKS bowling unit after he picked up two wickets.
During the run chase, Jonny Bairstow (108) and Shashank Singh (68) played an unbeaten knock to chase down the massive target and script history.
Narine was the only wicket-taker for the KKR.
Out of eight matches, KKR have registered five victories, collecting 10 points in the IPL 2024 standings, staying at the number 2 position. Meanwhile, Punjab hold the eighth place with six points after winning three of nine games.