“Definitely a Big Achievement,” says Andre Russell of his 8-sixes thrashing of PBKS. Andre Russell was back to his best as he smashed 70 off 31 deliveries to lead KKR to their second win of the season against Punjab Kings.
Andre Russell, all-rounder for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), described his unbeaten 70-run knock. Which included eight sixes. As a big achievement after KKR chased down a 138-run target in 14.3 overs against Punjab Kings (PBKS) to register their second consecutive win of the season on Friday at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. However, Kolkata Knight Riders got off to a good start, with openers hitting consecutive boundaries. But Punjab’s Kagiso Rabada dismissed Ajinkya Rahane, while Odeon Smith got the wicket of Shreyas Iyer, and Rahul Chahar struck twice, dismissing Shreyas for 26 and Nitish Rana for a duck, leaving KKR at 51 for 4.
In the 10th over, Andre Russell came in to bat and hammered Harpreet Brar for two sixes. Russell hammered Odean Smith for four sixes and a four in the 12th over to push Kolkata’s total past the triple-figure mark.
“Yes, I’m hoping to do much better. I’ve had 14 sixes in previous games, so let’s see if I can do it again. I’m happy to close out the innings as well, and getting eight sixes is definitely a big accomplishment. In some games, the entire team only gets six or seven sixes, so it’s good for me to get eight sixes, which is what I’ll practice for in the next game “In a video posted on the IPL website, Andre Russell told Tim Southee.
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“Definitely a Big Achievement.” says Andre Russell
Russell said of the Orange Cap and fellow West Indies player Odean Smith: “Yes, it is comfortable, and I intend to wear it for as long as possible. Actually, he is a quick guy, and I was just backing myself up to allow options to open. It’s nice to see him burn today, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the games.”
Russell hit eight sixes and two boundaries on his way to an unbeaten 70 from 31 balls, and Sam Billings provided support at the other end to help KKR to their second win of the season.
Tim Southee believes he was fortunate to make a spectacular catch to dismiss Kagiso Rabada for 25 runs off 15 balls. Rabada would have scored 15 runs in the final over if he had continued to play at his current rate.
Tim Southee said of his incredible catch against Punjab and his bowling partnership with Umesh Yadav, ” “I think I got lucky because it was so high, but it’s still nice for me. Umesh has been outstanding. For someone who sat on the sidelines last year, it’s a great start to the tournament. So far, he has an excellent style, and the skills he possesses make my job much easier. He can bowl quickly and swing the ball. It’s wonderful to be able to share the bowl with him.”
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