Watch: Harry Brook became the first centurion of IPL 2023 when he blazed a 55-ball unbeaten 100 against Kolkata Knight Riders today (April 14).
The 24-year-old, touted as one of the members of the next ‘Fab Three’, did not have the best start to his debut IPL season, scoring 13, 3, 13 in his first three games. Bought for INR 13.25 in the IPL 2023 auction, making him the most expensive overseas batter in the competition’s history, Brook walked out to open the innings on Friday – only the fifth time in his career – against KKR, at Eden Gardens, and immediately got off to a flier, scoring 31 runs in the first 11 balls that he faced, including hitting Umesh Yadav for two successive sixes in the third over of the innings.
The Englishman raced away to 41 in his first 19 balls before slowing down. He was also dropped on 45 by Suyash Sharma, KKR’s mystery spinner and took 13 more deliveries to score his first-ever IPL fifty, batting on 55 off 36 at one point as the tempo of his innings slowed down. However, the re-entry of Lockie Ferguson in the 15th over of the innings help him break the shackles, as the over went for 23 runs, with Brook hitting the Kiwi speedster for a six and four fours, including a boundary off a no ball.
Brook eventually raced his second T20 century in 55 deliveries, as an ecstatic SRH camp stood up to applaud the youngster’s efforts. His innings was laced with 12 fours and three sixes, with his runs coming at a strike rate of 181.82.
SRH ended with 228-4 in their 20 overs, with Aiden Markram (50 in 26) and Abhishek Sharma (32 in 17) playing useful hands.
Watch Brook’s innings here:
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