"Silencing all his critics" - Fans react after Jonny Bairstow smashes 108* off 48 in KKR vs PBKS IPL 2024 match 

Jonny Bairstow's scintillating knock of 108* off 48 balls stunned the cricket fraternity, as the Punjab Kings (PBKS) sealed the highest-ever T20 chase of 262 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Friday (April 26).

It all happened in Match 42 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the iconic Eden Gardens.

KKR batted first and got off to a flyer with Phil Salt (75 off 37) and Sunil Narine (71 off 32) putting on 138 for the first wicket. Useful contributions from Venkatesh Iyer (39) Andre Russell (24) and Shreyas Iyer (28) helped the home team post a mammoth total of 261.

In response, Prabhsimran Singh was exceptional for PBKS with an impressive knock of 54 off 20 balls. Thereafter, Jonny Bairstow joined hands with Shashank Singh (68* off 28) to hunt down KKR's score with eight balls to spare. Bairstow hit nine sixes, while Singh smoked eight. The match saw the most sixes (42) ever in a T20 game.

Interestingly, Bairstow only managed 96 runs in his first six games of IPL 2024, and was dropped for the following two games. The Englishman made a riveting comeback to win the game for the Punjab-based franchise.

Here are some reactions on X (formerly Twitter) to Bairstow's terrific knock:

"FORM IS TEMPORARY BUT CLASS IS PERMANENT. JONNY BAIRSTOW IS SILENCING ALL HIS CRITICS, OH BEAST!!" a fan remarked.

Some fans pointed out the resurgence of English batters ahead of the T20 World Cup in June. The likes of Jos Buttler, Will Jacks and Phil Salt have put in impressive performances over the past two weeks.

"England sends Jonny Bairstow to the IPL for the only reason to get rid of his poor form so by the time he is back in the England team, he is in Top Notch form," one fan tweeted.

Others lauded Bairstow for his hitting prowess, which helped PBKS to a record-breaking chase and also helped revive his IPL career.

"The bigger the disrespect , the louder the apology should be. What a carnage from Jonny Bairstow," a fan commented.

"Oh, Jonny, the Viking Beard Bairstow has obliterated a target of 261!" Iceland Cricket tweeted.

"I swear, Jonny Bairstow's making runs for his entire IPL career," one fan posted.

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Can Jonny Bairstow's Punjab Kings qualify for IPL 2024 playoffs?

On multiple occasions this season, the Punjab Kings failed to finish games. They lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by two runs, while falling short by nine runs against the Mumbai Indians.

However, the game against the Kolkata Knight Riders saw them secure an unlikely victory, which will have their confidence soaring.

With Jonny Bairstow and Prabhsimran Singh coming back to form and the duo of Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma firing all cylinders, it looks like they have a winning combination, at least on the batting front.

With three wins in nine appearances, they will need to win all or most of their remaining five games to qualify for the playoffs. Their top bowlers like Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh will need to perform better if they are to make the top four this season.