West Indies veteran Nicholas Pooran smashed an unbeaten 87 and Indian newcomer Priyansh Arya hit his first IPL century to lead Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings to victories on Tuesday.
The left-handed Pooran and Mitchell Marsh, who hit 81 guided Lucknow to 238-3, a total their bowlers defended in a tense four-run win over holders Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens.
Arya, an Indian left-hander known for his six-hitting prowess, smashed 103 off 42 balls to help Punjab to 219-6 and bowlers kept down Chennai to 201-5 in the second match of the day at Mullanpur, near Chandigarh.
Arya, who was picked up by Punjab in the November auction after his six sixes in an over in a Delhi Premier League T20 match last year, announced himself on the big stage with a 39-ball ton.
“Tonight, he was backing his instincts,” Punjab skipper Shreyas Iyer said of the breakout star.
“It was free-flowing and that is the mindset I want in everyone. Today, he kept on going, he was fearless and it was basically one of the top knocks I have seen in the IPL so far.”
The big-hitter smashed the second ton of this season in the T20 tournament in his fourth match to pummel to the opposition attack with seven fours and nine sixes.
The ton was the fastest against five-time champions Chennai and the fourth joint-fastest ever in the IPL. Chris Gayle holds the record of a ton in 30 balls.
Opener Arya found little support at the start as Punjab slipped to 83-5 when Shashank Singh joined the rising star and the two put together 71 runs in 34 balls.
Arya finally fell to Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad but Shashank, with his 52, and South African Marco Jansen, who smashed 34, finished with a flourish in an unbeaten stand of 65.
Chennai attempted to make a fist of the chase as New Zealand left-handers Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway put on 61 runs for the opening wicket.
Conway also put on 89 runs with impact substitute Shivam Dube but Ferguson broke through to get the left-handed Dube bowled for 42.
Veteran M.S. Dhoni walked out to loud cheers but even though Conway retired out, Chennai’s batters failed to keep up to the ever-increasing run-rate.
‘Practise a lot’
In the first match of the day, the in-form Marsh laid the foundations for Lucknow’s mammoth total in his 99-run opening stand with Aiden Markram, who hit 47.
Marsh reached his half-century with a boundary and with Pooran put on another destructive partnership until Andre Russell broke through.
Russell dismissed Marsh but Pooran kept up the onslaught to reach his fifty in just 21 balls before he smacked Russell for three fours and two sixes in a 24-run 18th over.
“I’ve been asked this a million times,” player of the match Pooran said on his six-hitting prowess. “I practise a lot. Everything you’re seeing in the game, it’s because of the practise. At the moment it’s just flowing really nicely.”
Lucknow skipper Rishabh Pant did not bat and is still waiting to justify his record auction price of $3.21 million.
Kolkata were off to a flier courtesy of Sunil Narine’s 13-ball 30 and then skipper Ajinkya Rahane smashed 61 but a middle-order collapse made them slip out.
Kolkata lost four wickets in 16 balls and despite a late blitz by Rinku Singh, who hit an unbeaten 38, couldn’t save the three-time champions from their third defeat in five matches.
