Lynnsanity returns in record IPL stand

The match in a tweet: Lynn and Gambhir unstoppable! KKR openers register highest ever IPL opening stand to secure 10-wicket victory inside just 14 overs.

The massacre: The Indian Premier League had yet to see Chris Lynn in full flight. There had been short bursts of brilliance across his previous five matches in the competition but nothing close to the magnitude of what he’d serve up Gujarat in Rajkot. The Queenslander blasted an unbeaten 93 from just 41 balls at the top of the order, just the third time in 86 T20 matches he has opened, depositing the stunned Lions bowlers to all parts. He brought up his 50 in 19 balls – the equal-fourth fastest in IPL history – and just kept going, smashing six boundaries and eight sixes, capping the night with 16 runs from three balls from Dhawal Kulkarni to nurse KKR to their first win of IPL 10. It continues on from from Lynn's incredible KFC Big Bash League form, with his last six T20 innings now having yielded 402 runs at an average of 134.

The record breakers: Chris Lynn and Gautam Gambhir now hold the record for the highest opening stand in IPL history, ousting the previous best of 167 by Tillakaratne Dilshan and Chris Gayle set in 2013. Their pursuit of 184 handed KKR a 10-wicket win and now sits atop the T20 records across the world as the highest run chase without the loss of a wicket. Lynn also has the highest average in Knight Riders history, his 58.7 peerless in Kolkata, thanks largely to tonight’s triumphant effort. There were some positives for the Gujarat side also, with Suresh Raina’s unbeaten-68 helping him surpass Virat Kohli as the IPL’s highest ever run scorer, currently 56 runs ahead of the Bangalore captain with 4,166 runs.

The second-fiddle: It’s rare that a player who scores 76 not out from 48 balls isn’t the one making the headlines, but KKR captain Gautam Gambhir’s knock shouldn’t be understated. He was just as much a part of the record-breaking stand as his companion in Lynn, reaching the fence 12 times and allowing the Aussie to rampage freely at the other end. His drives were pure class and the mid-wicket area took a battering as the left-hander struck the second highest IPL score without a six.

The missing links: Both Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo were missing for the Gujarat Lions, hurting the home side’s depth, exposed by the powerhouse top order of Kolkata. But it was with the ball where they were desperately needed, with the two superstars taking one-third of the Lions’ wickets last season. The Gujarat bowling line-up led by Kulkarni didn’t look like taking a wicket and lacked the composure that the seasoned veterans would clearly bring to a fledgling side.

The Lightning Boult: On a clear night in Rajkot, there was still lightning in the air! Suresh Raina was in full flight and looked to dispatch Piyush Chawla for yet another six, that is, before Trent Boult hurled himself over the line. The Kiwi caught-and-released the ball in one motion, saving a certain six and earning the plaudits of an excited commentary box.

The Aussie Pack: Chris Lynn’s innings will go down in the annals of IPL history as one of the most destructive knocks seen. As mentioned earlier, it was just the third time Lynn had been promoted to the top of the order and it paid off in spades, Lynn’s 93 not-out seeing his side home with 31 balls remaining. The only other Aussie to feature was Aaron Finch (15), who was lively in his eight-ball stay, hitting two sixes before holing out to long-off from Test destroyer Kuldeep Yadav. Both James Faulkner and Andrew Tye were in line to fill the gap left by Dwayne Bravo, with selectors opting for Indian Manpreet Gony instead.

The fallout: The Knight Riders will have one day to regroup before they face Glenn Maxwell’s Kings XI Punjab at Eden Gardens, with Gujarat heading to Mumbai on Sunday Night, with both teams looking to open their account for 2017.