Back to his previous best Andre Russell with both bat and ball has helped KKR win three in three
Kolkata Knight Riders power hitter Andre Russell has started the 2024 campaign in blistering form. He looks like he is back to his monstrous best as he is smacking the ball all over the park. In three innings he has played so far he scored 105 runs at a strike rate of 238.64.
On Wednesday he scored another quick-fire 19-ball 41 in the process deposited three mammoth sixes into the stands and also became the seventh player to score 200 sixes for a franchise.
| Player | Team | sixes | Matches |
| Virat Kohli | RCB | 242 | 241 |
| Chris Gayle | RCB | 239 | 85 |
| Ab de Villiers | RCB | 238 | 156 |
| Kieron Pollard | MI | 223 | 189 |
| MS Dhoni | CSK | 212 | 223 |
| Rohit Sharma | MI | 210 | 201 |
| Andre Russell | KKR | 200 | 108 |
Show less
Russell has been an integral part of the franchise since 2014. In 108 innings for KKR Russell scored 2309 runs at an average of 30.79 and strike rate of 177.07. He has also scored the maximum number of sixes for KKR. Russell (200), Nitish Rana (106), Robin Uthappa (85), Yusuf Pathan (85) and Sunil Narine (76).
Bowling retruns
In addition to his, batting Russell has been lethal with his bowling as well. There has been always an injury scare associated with him in the previous seasons hence his bowling overs would have been managed judiciously however, he was always a genuine wicket-taker. This season once again he looked sharp so far in his bowling.
During the game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru earlier in the tournament while the other bowlers were going around the park Russell picked up three wickets and bowled an economical spell. Having the reputation of bowling a heavy ball Russell on the day would adapt his bowling style deliver slower ones into the pitch on a two-paced wicket which made scoring difficult for RCB batters.
Three games into the season the West Indian has picked five wickets at an economy rate of 9.27 this season so far. For KKR to make it into the top four it is imperative that Russell has a good tournament.
Source:indianexpress,com