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Australian young star Cooper Connolly overtook Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya for most sixes by a batter in their debut Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Connolly, who plays for PBKS, achieved this impressive feat during his side`s home defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The southpaw scored a quickfire 37 in 22 balls, with three fours and three sixes, with a strike rate of 168.18. His knock gave his side a glimmer of hope after a top-order collapse while chasing 223 runs.
Connolly has emerged as PBKS` top run-getter so far, with 473 runs in 12 innings at an average of 47.30 and a strike rate of 162.54, including a century and two fifties, with the best score of 107*. He has hit 32 sixes, along with 39 fours, this tournament.
In the inaugural season of the IPL, Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya had smashed 31 sixes for MI, having emerged as the third-highest run-getter with 514 runs in 14 innings at an average of 42.83 and a strike rate of 166.34, with a century and two fifties, including a best score of 114*.
RCB beat PBKS to book a place in the playoffs
PBKS chose to bowl first going into the game. Venkatesh Iyer (73* in 40 balls, with eight fours and four sixes) and Tim David (28 in 12 balls, with two fours and two sixes) accelerated to take RCB to 222/4 after Virat continued his impressive run, scoring a half-century.
During the chase, PBKS lost their top-order Indian batters Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya and skipper Shreyas Iyer within a matter of 19 runs. In the tenth over, PBKS fell to 93/5 despite valiant efforts from Connolly (37 runs) and Suryansh Shedge (35 runs)
Marcus Stoinis and Shashank Singh gave PBKS hope with their counter-attacking 67-run stand for the sixth wicket. However, RCB managed to restrict PBKS to 199/8 in 20 overs, winning by 23 runs.
RCB has booked its place in the playoffs, with nine wins and four losses and 18 points, sitting at the top of the table. While PBKS are in a slump, losing 6 matches in a row after having been unbeaten in the first 7.
(With ANI Input)
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