England's new batting sensation Harry Brook, finally managed to crack the IPL code in style, blazing his way to first century of this edition as Sunrisers' Hyderabad piled up a mammoth 228 for 4 against Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata on Friday. (More Cricket News) | (Scorecard)
Brook, who was roped in after his exploits in Pakistan, finalꦚly announced his arrival in style, when he smashed four fours and two sixes inside first ꧃three overs to give SRH the best start of the season.
Bought by SRH for a whopp꧅ing Rs 13.25 crore, Brook had managed only 29 in first three games, but found his rhythm with a 55-ball-100 as he smashed 12 fours and three sixes.
Having got a reprieve on 45, when he🉐 was dropped by rookie leg-spinner Suyash Sharma an easy chanಌce off his own bowling, Englishman got to his 50 off 32 balls.
Brook also overturned a caught-behind decision off Lo⭕ckie Ferguson when on 61, as he hammered the Kiwi fiery pacer in the same o♉ver five fours, en route to the first century of the season, which came off a single off Umesh Yadav in the final over.
Opting to bowl, KKR fi🍌elding was also a big letdown, as skipper Aiden Markram also played an impactful innings in the middle when he raced to a 26-ball fifty as the duo stitched together🤪 72 runs from 47 balls.
After Markram's departure, young left-handed batter Abhishek Sharma (32; ꦜ17b) gave a fine support as the duo also added 72 runs (33b)♛ to pile on KKR's misery.
Hein𓆉rich Klaasen then played a cameo of 16 not out in six balls as SRH dished out a superlative batting display after KKR opted to bowl.
Barring Caribbeans, Sunil Narine (4-0-28-0) and Andꦆre Russell (2.1-0-22-3) who pulled a muscle and could not complete his overs, none of the KKR bowlers failed to impress.
The day fully belonged to the English batter, who carried his bat replicating his success in Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he had scored 264 runs for Lahore Qalandars in eight innings𝓡, which included a century, at a strike rate of 171.4 in 2022 edition.
Brook also has eye-popping numbers in Tests and has scored ꦯ809 runs with four centuries and three fifties in ꦕ10 innings.
KKR may have missed the trick by giving him som🌠e easy pace fodderꦚ to begin with as Brook was happy to take Yadav to cleaners, while the fiery Ferguson was wayward, both conceding 14 runs in their opening overs.
From 43 for no loss in three ov📖ers, Sunil Narine managed to drag them in a tidy fourth over that perfectly set it up for Andre Russell to inflict a double blow.
Bowli🧸ng for the first time thi🎉s season, the Jamaican dismissed Mayank Agarwal (9; 13b) straightway before pulling a muscle.
Russell𒅌, however, managed to fiꦛnish the over and took the wicket of in-form Rahul Tripathi in the last-ball to give KKR the vital opening.
But🌠 Brook and skipper Markram batted sensibly, especiall♉y against Narine and raced to quick fifties to keep their run-rate near the 10-run mark.
The SRH skipper gave Brook a fine support and negotiated the middle overs well in an entertaining 72-run partnership🍨 tha📖t came off just 47 balls.
