Birthday special: Andre Russell – 3 match-winning performances in IPL
West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has been an integral part of the two-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Russell was part of Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) during the initial years of the tournament. However, he was bought by the Men in Purple in 2014.
Talking about his numbers in IPL, the right-handed batter has played 93 matches and has amassed 1927 runs at a humongous strike rate of 178.76. With the ball, he has scalped a total of 82 wickets and also has a five-wicket haul under his name. On that note, let us take a look top three match-winning all-around performances in IPL.
3. KKR vs PBKS (IPL 2015)
Russell proved to be the difference between KKR and PBKS during a group-stage match of IPL in 2015. The two-time champions won the toss and restricted their opponents to 155/9 in their allotted 20 overs. Russell impressed with the ball as he took two wickets of Virender Sehwag and Thisara Perera. In reply, the KKR batting order flopped, but it was Russell (66) who single-handedly demolished the PBKS bowling line-up and won the match for his side.
2. KKR vs RCB (IPL 2019)
Chasing 206 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2019, the Men in Purple were down and out as they required 30 runs in the last two overs. However, the big man from the West Indies had some other plans as he thrashed New Zealand pacer Tim Southee for 28 runs in the second last over and all it took was a cheeky single on the first ball of the 20th over to hand KKR an easy victory. The right-handed batter scored 48* off just 13 balls and handed a demoralizing defeat to the Red Army.
1. KKR vs MI (IPL 2019)
The Men in Purple were taking on Mumbai Indians in a group-stage encounter of IPL 2019. MI after winning the toss invited KKR to bat first. However, their plan backfired as Andre Russell 80* off 40 balls and Shubman Gill 75 off 45 balls helped their team to post a competitive total. In reply, the Men in Blue and Gold fell short by 34 runs as Russell grabbed two crucial wickets as well.
