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Australian cricketer Pat Cummins has stunned the Indian Premier League with an explosive cameo in Wednesday’s thrilling run chase against the Chennai Super Kings.
The Kolkata Knight Riders were in dire straits at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, crumbling to 5/31 in pursuit of a 221-run target for victory.
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But batting at No. 8, Cummins cracked the highest score of his T20 career to finish unbeaten on 66 from just 34 balls, his knock featuring four boundaries and six sixes.
The 27-year-old smacked 30 runs off a single over from English paceman Sam Curran, equalling the Australian IPL record.
Cummins becomes only the sixth cricketer to hit 30 runs in an over in the IPL, joining T20 icons Chris Gayle, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag, Shaun Marsh and Rahul Tewatia.
Cricket writer Amer Malik tweeted: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen poor old Sam Curran carted all over the park; as I did today – Cummins tore him apart even hitting him for 30 in one over. Brutal batting.”
West Indies powerhouse Andre Russell brought up his own half-century in just 21 balls but couldn’t guide his team to victory, the Knight Riders ultimately falling 19 runs short of the target.
“After the start we got, we did not think we would have got as close as we did,” Kolkata captain Eoin Morgan said after the loss.
The Knight Riders paid a whopping AUD $3.1 million for Cummins at the 2019 IPL Auction.
MOST RUNS IN AN OVER BY AN AUSTRALIAN IN THE IPL
30 – Shaun Marsh vs RCB (May 2011)
30 – Pat Cummins vs CSK (Apr 2021)
27 – Glenn Maxwell vs MI (Apr 2017)
26 – Pat Cummins vs MI (Sep 2020)
26 – Shane Watson vs SRH (May 2018)
26 – Shane Watson vs RCB (Apr 2008)
READ MORE: Aussie $3.9m speedsters brutally snubbed
Despite his heroics with the bat, Cummins suffered a nightmare bowling spell earlier in the contest.
The New South Welshman conceded 58 runs from his four overs, failing to unearth a breakthrough for the Knight Riders.
It ranked as the most expensive bowling spell in the 2021 tournament, before Curran ironically equalled the unwanted feat later in the match with figures of 1/58.
Former South African captain Faf du Plessis top-scored with 95 not out, while English all-rounder Moeen Ali smashed 25 off 12 balls.
“It is the most fluent I have felt so far,” du Plessis said of his innings, which included four sixes and nine fours.
Having lost three of their opening four matches, Kolkata will next face the Rajasthan Royals on Saturday evening, the first ball scheduled for midnight AEST.
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