Kolkata, Apr 26: For the first time this season at Eden Gardens, a team won the toss and chose to bat first — and Punjab Kings made the most of it as Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran partnered together to propel visitors to 201/4 against Kolkata Knight Riders in 20 overs at Eden Gardens.

Led by an electrifying opening stand of 120 in 72 deliveries between young Priyansh Arya and the ever-daring Prabhsimran Singh, PBKS posted an imposing total against Kolkata Knight Riders, despite a late stumble in the final overs.

On a pitch that both captains and coaches described as "dry" and "very slow", Arya and Prabhsimran made batting look easy in the early overs. Arya, in particular, was in sublime touch right from the outset, caressing cover drives and punishing anything even slightly off length. The duo raced to 43/0 in just four overs, with Arya responsible for all four boundaries struck between mid-off and cover.

The approach was clear: play risk-free cricket but punish the bad balls, and in the process, they dominated the powerplay, finishing at 56/0 after six overs.

Spin was introduced immediately after, with Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine coming into the attack. The game slowed down slightly — only 21 runs came in four overs after spin was introduced — but Arya found another gear. He brought up a dazzling fifty off just 27 balls, cleverly targeting the pacers while being watchful against spin. Against fast bowling, Arya was particularly brutal, scoring 43 off 16 balls, showing maturity beyond his years.

The partnership between Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh blossomed beautifully, the two complementing each other’s styles. Arya took on the pacers, while Prabhsimran gradually accelerated after a steady start. Prabhsimran unleashed his full array of strokes once he grew into his innings, including a breathtaking switch-hit six off Narine that stunned everyone at the ground.

The hundred partnership was sealed in just the 11th over, with PBKS sitting pretty at 120/1 after a rare big over off Sunil Narine — his third-most expensive over in T20s, going for 22 runs. Arya eventually fell for a sparkling 69 off 35 balls, miscuing a big shot against Andre Russell, but not before he laid the perfect platform.

Prabhsimran Singh, meanwhile, took over the accelerator duties post-Arya’s dismissal. After crawling to 34 off 32 balls, he exploded, scoring 48 runs off his next 15 balls. His fifty came up off 38 deliveries, and he was well on course for a big hundred before falling for 83 off 49 balls, courtesy of a full toss mistimed straight to long-off.

Shreyas Iyer, managed just 25 off 16 balls, causing a slowdown during a crucial phase. Glenn Maxwell (7) looked threatening for a brief period but was once again undone by Varun Chakravarthy, who has now dismissed him five times in eight innings.

Punjab’s experiment of promoting Marco Jansen ahead of more established batters like Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, and Josh Inglis backfired badly. Jansen struggled to time the ball and crawled to 3 off 7 balls, dragging down PBKS' momentum as the innings drew to a close.

Despite a bit of a stutter in the final five overs, Punjab Kings' innings was built on the back of that dazzling opening stand. They finished their 20 overs at a strong 201/4, a score that looked even more formidable considering the slow nature of the surface and the growing signs of grip and turn for the spinners.

Brief scores: Punjab Kings 201/4 in 20 overs (Prabhsimran 83, Priyans Arya 69; Vaibhav Arora 2/34, Andre Russell 1/27) against Kolkata Knigh Riders

--IANS

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