Brook’s unbeaten ton gives SRH win over KKR

(ESPNCRICINFO) - Harry Brook put behind a string of low scores with an unbeaten 55-ball 100 that included imperious hitting against pace and calculated strike rotation against spin. Aiden Markram was equally destructive, scoring 50 off 26 balls, as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 228 for 4, the highest total of IPL 2023 so far.

In response, Kolkata Knight Riders were 96 for 5 in the 11th over and in need of a miracle for the third game in a row.

Nitish Rana's 41-ball 75 kept their hopes alive, and with 58 required from the last three overs, they had Rinku Singh and Shar- dul Thakur -- their miracle-makers from the previous two games -- in the middle. Rinku fought hard with an unbeaten 58 off 31 but this time, it wasn't to be. Brook shows his class

Coming into this game, Brook had 29 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 74.35. But one felt it was only a matter of time before he stepped up. On Friday, he started by hitting the first ball of the innings, bowled by Umesh Yadav, through the covers for four. He picked up two more fours in the over, pulling and scooping the bowler with little fuss.

Against Lockie Ferguson, he exposed his stumps and dispatched a slow full toss to the cover boundary. He used the same strategy in Umesh's next over with even better returns; two back-to-back sixes. Thanks to Brook, Sunrisers raced to 43 for no loss in three overs.

Russell's double-strike

Andre Russell hadn't bowled this season so far, but it took him just one ball to make an impact. While Brook seemed unstoppable, Mayank Agarwal was struggling. Russell ended his agony by having him caught at short third for 9 off 13 balls. Rahul Tripathi hit a couple of fours but ended up top-edging a pull on the last ball of the over, giving Russell his second wicket.

Markram takes over

In their spinners, Knight Riders found a way to keep Brook quiet. In the first six overs of the innings, Brook had smashed five fours and two sixes. In the next eight -- seven of which were bowled by the spinners -- he didn't find a single boundary, and instead focused on rotating the strike. That, though, didn't mean Knight Riders could breathe easily. Markram took the baton and ransacked 42 off 22 balls against the spinners. He was severe on Suyash Sharma, in particular, taking him for two sixes and a four in the 12th over of the innings. In the next over, he hit successive balls from Varun Chakravarthy for a four and a six, the second shot bringing up

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