IPL 2022: Jonny Bairstow set it up for us, says Liam Livingstone after Punjab Kings' win over RCB

Punjab Kings' all-rounder Liam Livingstone credited his compatriot Jonny Bairstow with setting the tone for his team's comprehensive 54-run over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) with a blazing knock in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Brabourne Stadium here on Friday. Bairstow hammered 66 off 29 deliveries, hitting four boundaries and seven huge sixes in a brilliant display of power-hitting that set the stage for Livingstone's 42-ball 70 that took Punjab Kings to 209/9 in 20 overs. In reply, RCB were restricted to 155/9, with the team from the south losing its momentum after former skipper Virat Kohli and his successor Faf du Plessis were out in the powerplay with the score 34/2 in the fifth over. Rajat Patidar (26) and Glenn Maxwell (35) raised 51 runs for the fourth wicket but once they were dismissed, RCB's chase lost steam.

Read AlsoIPL 2022, RCB vs PBKS: Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone fifties set up Punjab Kings’ clinical 54-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore

With his 29-ball 66 (4x4; 7x6) the Englishman got Punjab off to a dream start with 81 runs coming off the first six overs. If Bairstow powered the beginning, Liam Livingstone anchored the finish of Punjab’s innings with his 70 coming off 42 balls, which enabled Punjab to finish their quota with

"Jonny set it up perfectly for the rest of the batters and I think the way we bowled was pretty exceptional on a very good pitch," Livingstone said at the post-match presentation on Friday. "If we get our chance to put the opposition under pressure, then (we should) make sure we do that and I thought Jonny did that perfectly today to one of their best bowlers throughout the tournament. The intent that he showed in his first over put us way ahead of