Yashasvi Jaiswal reached the fastest half-century in Indian Premier League history as Rajasthan Royals beat Kolkata Knight Riders by nine wickets.
Jaiswal, 21, hit a majestic 50 on 13 balls – one ball faster than Pat Cummins and KL Rahul’s previous record.
He finished unbeaten on 98 balls from 47 as Rajasthan hit their target of 150 with 41 balls to spare.
Yuzvendra Chahal earlier became the IPL’s all-time leading wicket-taker, taking 4-25 as Kolkata trailed 149-8.
England’s Jason Roy made just 10 in Kolkata’s innings, while Jos Buttler was Rajasthan’s only wicket to fall – fleeing for a duck in the second part of Rajasthan’s chase.
Meanwhile, Joe Root’s wait for an IPL round continues.
Root, playing only his second match of the competition, netted two overs without a wicket in the Kolkata innings but had to settle for watching from the dugout as Jaiswal produced a brutal attack on the Kolkata bowlers and reduced to the silence a previously bustling Eden Gardens crowd.
Jaiswal, uncapped by India, took 26 points from the start and remained unfazed even after wearing Buttler down.
As Rajasthan went 78-1 after the six-man power play, Jaiswal had scored 62.
The southpaw combined effortless power with innovation, using his feet to attack spinners and manipulating the pitch, hitting 12 fours and five sixes.
His 13-ball effort is the second-fastest half-century in T20 history – one ball slower than Yuvraj Singh against England on September 19, 2009.
He was well supported by Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson, who finished unbeaten on 49 out of 29 runs.
The pair added a partnership of 121 from just 69 balls as Kolkata’s seven bowlers were punished unable to take a wicket between them.
Jaiswal remains second in the tournament scoring standings with 564 runs from 12 innings, just behind Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Faf du Plessis with 576.
Venkatesh Iyer scored for Kolkata with 57-for-42 but the batters struggled to gain momentum as they were tied by spinner Chahal and setter Trent Boult, who took it 2-15.
The win boosts Rajasthan’s chances of qualifying as they had previously lost five out of six games, but leaves Kolkata to rely on other results.
“The pressure is never off” – reaction
Nitish Rana, captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders: “Jaiswal’s innings were commendable. I thought 180 was par but we made a lot of mistakes with the bat.
“I bowled first because I thought I could play part-time and bring the Jaiswal out fit but it was his day.”
Sanju Samson, captain of the Rajasthan Royals: “I had nothing to do, just turn the shot and watch!
“It’s time to give Chahal the legend label, and we are very grateful to have him.
“But the pressure is never let up, every game is important.”
Player of the match Yashasvi Jaiswal: “It’s always in my heart to go out and do well. It’s a nice feeling that we won.
“The shot I won the game with is what I like the most because I’m learning how to play to the end and win for the team. That’s more important.”
