Two of the world's most destructive batsmen, Andre Russell and Hardik Pandya, will face off in the KKR vs MI match of IPL 2020 in Abu Dhabi, but the battle royale has already been started online hours before the toss
As in the past seasons, the Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) star Andre Russell remains one of the players to look out for in the Indian Premier League (IPL). And on Wednesday, the West Indies all-rounder will take the field for the first time in this edition of the world's premier T20 cricket league. The occasion - KKR vs Mumbai Indians (MI). Ring a bell?
Russell, 32, is a box office draw for KKR having averaged 56.7 with the bat last year. He made 510 runs in 2019, of which 85.5 percent were made from boundaries. That was the biggest percentage for those to have made at least 20 runs.
That's just the appetiser. Those who witnessed his many onslaughts, especially the one he summoned against Mumbai Indians, will agree that Russell in the man. Well, the IPL seemed to agree with that. And hours before the blockbuster KKX vs MI at Abu Dhabi, IPL shared a video, asking "How many of you remember this Russell Mania at Eden Gardens - 80*(40) against #MumbaiIndians?
If you don't or missed it, here's the footage:
For your benefit, here's Hardik Pandya's reply to that Russell knock.
By the way, in this fixture last year, KKR beat MI by 34 runs at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Put into by MI captain Rohit Sharma, KKR scored a mammoth 232/2 with Russell scoring 80 off 40. In reply, MI could manage only 198. But Hardik won the hearts with a 34-ball 91.
So, what to expect tonight?
It will be grace and strength on one side and poise and killer instinct on the other when a revamped KKR take on MI, who have once again faltered in the beginning of the IPL.