The high-flying Kolkata Knight Riders, who had registered two unbelievable back-to-back wins had been introduced right 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 once purchased for a whopping Rs 13.25 crore on the public sale, in any case cracked the IPL code as he fired up his maiden ton on the planet’s greatest T20 cricket league.
The Sunrisers bowlers, regardless of some hammering from house skipper Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh controlled to limit the hosts to 205 for 7 in 20 overs.
As It Happened
Brook, who was once roped in after his exploits in Pakistan, in any case introduced his arrival in taste, when he smashed 4 fours and two sixes within first 3 overs to present SRH the most productive begin to the season.
Brook had controlled handiest 29 in first 3 video games however discovered his rhythm with a 55-ball-100 as he smashed 12 fours and 3 sixes. This was once the sixteenth version’s first century.
In answer, it was once at all times going to be tricky for KKR to handle a run-rate of eleven plus according to over however skipper Rana (75 off 41 balls) did release into SRH bowlers with part a dozen sixes and had ‘Man of the Moment’ Rinku Singh (58 no longer out off 31 balls) for corporate of their 69-run stand off handiest 6.2 overs. This was once after KR had been lowered to 96 for five inside first 10 overs.
Once T Natarajan removed Rana, it was once left to Rinku to tug off but every other heist as 57 had been wanted off final 3 overs.
But Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/29 in 4 overs) gave away 10 within the 18th over whilst 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 neatly to brush aside Shardul Thakur with the primary supply and successfully sealing the sport because the southpaw was once stranded on the different finish for first two deliveries. . Rinku confronted 4 balls however Umran bowled rapid and whole to stay him underneath take a look at with handiest 8 runs being conceded.
Brook ‘bonds’ with SRH philosophy
Earlier, having were given a reprieve on 45, when he was once dropped through rookie leg-spinner Suyash Sharma a very simple likelihood off his personal bowling, Brook were given 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 similar over 5 fours, en path to the primary century of the season, which got here off a unmarried off Umesh Yadav within the ultimate. over.
Captain Aiden Markram additionally performed an impactful innings within the heart when he raced to a 26-ball fifty because the duo stitched in combination 72 runs from 47 balls.
After Markram’s departure, younger left-handed batsman Abhishek Sharma (32; 17b) gave a high quality reinforce because the duo additionally added 72 runs (33b) to pile on KKR’s distress.
Heinrich Klaasen then performed a cameo of 16 no longer 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 may no longer entire his overs, not one of the KKR bowlers failed to provoke.
The day totally belonged to the English batter, who carried his bat replicating his luck in Pakistan Super League (PSL), the place he had scored 264 runs for Lahore Qalandars in 8 innings, which incorporated a century, at a strike fee of 171.4 in 2022 version.
Brook additionally has eye-popping numbers in Tests and has scored 809 runs with 4 centuries and 3 fifties in 10 innings.
KKR can have overlooked the trick through giving him some simple tempo fodder first of all as Brook was once glad to take Yadav to cleaners, whilst the fiery Ferguson was once wayward, each conceding 14 runs of their opening overs.
From 43 for no loss in 3 overs, Sunil Narine controlled to pull them right into 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 disregarded Mayank Agarwal (9; 13b) straightway ahead of pulling a muscle.
Russell on the other hand controlled to complete the over and took the wicket of in-form Rahul Tripathi within the last-ball to present KKR the essential opening.
But Brook and skipper Markram batted sensibly, particularly in opposition to Narine and raced to fast fifties to stay their run-rate close to the 10-run mark.
The SRH skipper gave Brook a high quality reinforce and negotiated the center overs neatly in an entertaining 72-run partnership that got here off simply 47 balls.
(With inputs from PTI)