On Sunday, he missed a well-deserved half-century by one run. Tonight, by two runs. Andre Russell has set the IPL on fire with two innings of brutal hittings. His unbeaten 49 against SunRisers Hyderabad from 19 balls with four fours and four sixes. His 48 against Kings XI Punjab came from 18 balls with three fours and five sixes. Kolkata Knight Riders will be thankful to the Jamaican, who overshadowed his more illustrious rival, Chris Gayle. That's Indian Premier League for you. World's best giving their best for their respective franchises.
But the contest was not all about him.
Another Caribbean mercenary, Sunil Narine started the fireworks with a 25-run over, punishing debutant Varun Chakravarthy. Then, there were 60s from Robin Uthappa and Nitish Rana.
For the visitors, Mayank Agarwal and David Miller hit fifties, but they needed a biggie to chase down a target of 219 runs. Yes, Russell also took two Punjab wickets and was the only bowler to take more than one scalp in the match. But one would wonder, what happened to R Ashwin and his troop. Russell was given a life, thanks to fielding no-ball when he was on 3 off 5 in the 17th over. 17th over.
KXIP INNINGS; TARGET 219
11:38 PM IST: Mandeep Singh, just to keep things interested, pulled the first ball of the final over for a four. He took a double, then hit another four by lofting over the fine leg fielder. A single followed. A double and a dot ball. 13 runs from the over. KXIP could manage only 190/4 from 20 overs.
KKR won the match by 28 runs.
11:34 PM IST: Lockie Ferguson with his final over. A single, followed by a four as Mandeep Singh played it past backward point. A single, and David Miller reached his fifty in 36th ball with a double. The South Africam hit the next ball over backward point for a six. A dot to end the over. Ferguson's figures: 4-0-42-1. KXIP were 177/4 after 19 over. And KKR will not lose this match. Equation = 42 in 6.
11:28 PM IST: Prasidh Krishna on with his final over. A dot to Mandeep Singh, slower delivery. It was followed by a full toss for a single. David Miller hit back the third ball straight and a boundary. Miller played and missed. On the leg and his swing failed to make contact. A dot ball. A bouncer hurried onto the batsman. Ball landed at mid-wicket for a single. Mandeep beat the third man with a guided shot. 10 runs from the over. Krishna's figures: 4-0-42-0. KXIP were 162/4 after 18 overs. They need 57 runs in 12 balls.
11:23 PM IST: Lockie Ferguson on for his third over. Mandeep Sing welcomed back him with a straight six. A single, then David Miller craftily guided the rising ball past short third man for a four. Wild beamer, but well within the permissible height. A single as Miller played it towards fine leg. Mandeep cleared the in-field with a lofted cover drive, a double. A quicker delivery crashed into the bat and a single. 15 runs from it. KXIP were 152/4 after 17 overs. Now or never for them. A 30-run-over will help the cause.
11:18 PM IST: End of a 74-run stand. Piyush Chawla bowled Mayank Agarwal (58 off 34;4sX6,6sX1). Googly. Wild swing from the batsman and leg stump gone. FoW 134/4 (15.2 Over). Mandeep Singh joined David Miller in the centre. Miller reviewed a caught behind verdict from the umpire. Widish delivery, chased but missed, as the replays showed. No wide given. Four runs and a wicket from the over. KXIP were 137/4 after 16 overs. Huge task ahead for the visitors. 82 from 24.
11:08 PM IST: Kuldeep Yadav returned for s last over. Nine from it, which included a four of the last ball. Andre Russell did everything to stop it. But his body touched the rope while throwing it back. Yadav's figures: 4-0-32-0. KXIP were 133/3 after 15 overs. They need 86 runs in 30 balls. Last time-out today.
11:03 PM IST: Fourth fifty for Mayank Agarwal with a two off the 28th ball he faced today. Six fours and a six so far. Andre Russell gave away just eight runs from his third over. His figures: 3-21-0-2. KXIP were 124/3 after 14 overs.
11:00 PM IST: Piyush Chawla got his first over in the 13th over. A single to David Miller to start the spell. He was hit for a six Next ball hit for a six by Mayank Agarwal. But Chawla did well to end the over conceding only 10 runs. KXIP were 116/3 after 13 overs. 103 needed in 42 balls.
10:56 PM IST: Sunil Narine returned for his second over in his 100th IPL match. A dot to David Miller, but was hit for a six and a four in the next deliveries. A single to rotate the strike, then Mayank Agarwal hit the next two balls for fours. 19 runs from it. 45 runs from the last four overs and Agarwal and Miller have added 46 runs in 27 balls. KXIP were 106/3 after 12 over. Punjab need 113 runs in 48 balls.
10:52 PM IST: Kuldeep Yadav was dictating the terms, but David Miller swept the fifth ball for a mighty six, then forced to do some juggling act to deny the South African a six or four. Fine effort at backward square leg, to restrict to a single. 10 runs from the over. KXIP were 87/3 after 11 overs.
10:47 PM IST: Seven runs from Sunil Narine's first over, with the last-ball four spoiling the numbers for the spinner. Two dots to David Miller, followed by three singles. Mayank Agarwal swept the last ball for a four. KXIP were 77/3 after 10 overs.
10:41 PM IST: A welcome boundary for KXIP, courtesy David Miller's sweep off the fifth ball of the over. Nine runs from Kuldeep Yadav's second over. KXIP were 70/3 after nine overs. They need 149 runs in 66 balls. Time-out.
10:37 PM IST: Sarfaraz Khan's (13 off 13) gone. Caught by Dinesh Karthik. The youngster failed to make proper contact to the slower delivery, and he ended up scooping the ball. FoW - 60/3 (7.3 Over). And that's second wicket for Andre Russell. David Miller joined Mayank Agarwal in the centre. KXI were 61/3 after eight overs. Russell's figures so far: 2-0-13-2
10:33 PM IST: Kuldeep Yadav got his first over. Four singles and KXIP were 55/2. Mayank Agarwal and Sarfaraz Khan rebuilding the innings. They have added 18 in 16 balls. KXIP need 164 runs in 78 balls.
10:29 PM IST: Carnival atmosphere at Eden Gardens. Fans erupted, raising Mexican waves as KKR players gather to discuss something everybody missed initially. Replays showed an over-throw four. Robin Uthappa passed the ball to Andre Russell, the Windies, unaware of it coming, ducked and the ball went for, well, four overthrows. Dinesh Karthik was furious. That happened off the first ball. Five runs for it. It was deemed still in play. Three more singles to make it an 8-run over. KXIP were 51/2 after the end of power-play.
10:21 PM IST: First over for Andre Russell, and he got the big wicket of Chris Gayle (20 off 13). FoW - 37/2 (4.2 Over). Skier off a short ball. Prasidh Krisha almost bumped into another fielder while taking the catch at mid-on. Sarfaraz Khan got hit on the pad, front foot. Loud shout, but no response from the umpire. Height was the issue. Then Khan guided the bouncer past the wicketkeeper. Four. Seven runs from the over. KXIP were 43/2 after five overs. Equation: 176 from 90 balls.
10:16 PM IST: Chris Gayle's turn to face the over. And a four and a six off the fifth and sixth balls respectively to make it an 11-run over. Lockie Furguson started well with four dot balls, then the Windies great spoilt his party. KXIP were 36/1 after four overs.
10:10 PM IST: Another poor over from Prasidh Krishna. 13 runs from it. A wide to start, then back-to-back fours from the bat of Mayank Agarwal. Three dot balls, then a four to end the over. KXIP were 25/1 after three overs.
10:05 PM IST: Lockie Ferguson got the wicket of KL Rahul, caught by Kuldeep Yadav. Huge wicket. Rahul was probably looking to play over cover, but ended up offering a simple catch at mid-off. FoW - 11/1 (1.4 Over). One wicket and one run from the over. Mayank Agarwal joined Chris Gayle in the centre. KXIP were 12/1 after 2 overs.
10:00 PM IST: Jamaican show continued in the second innings. Chris Gayle hit the third ball for a six, then followed it up with a four off the fifth ball. Prasidh Krishna leaked 11 runs in the first over.
KKR INNINGS
9:49 PM IST: What a drama-filled first innings. It started with Sunil Narine destroying debutant Varun Chakravarthy in the land of Mithun Chakraborty. Nitish Rana took over, then Andre Russell carnage as Robin Uthappa played a Test match innings. 17 sixes to 16 fours. And there was a no-ball wicket. Mohammed Shami produced a perfect yorker to rock Russell's middle stump, but a KXIP fielder was caught napping. And it will be blamed if the Kings lose the match.
Russell at his devastating best, and was given a life thanks to silly fielding mistake. Photo: @IPL
:41 PM IST: Andrew Tye did well to check the boundary flow. Three singles, then a very good catch from Mayank Agarwal to end Andre Russell's knock (48 off 17; 4sX3,6sX5). Well-timed jumping catch at cow corner boundary. FoW- 213/4 (19.4 Over). Applause for the batsman from Shah Rukh Khan. New man Dinesh Karthik took a single off the first ball he faced. Then, Robin Uthappa hit the last ball for a four. KKR thus posted a massive 218/4. Uthappa unbeaten on 67 off 50. And it looked a Test match innings.
9:36 PM IST: What a show from Andre Russell. Robin Uthappa took a double and a single, then Russell hit 6,6,6,4 as Mohammed Shami hide for cover. 25 runs from the over. KKR were 210/3 from 19 overs. 47 off 15 for Russell.
9:31 PM IST: A top-edge sailing into the crowd. That's Jamaican power. Andrew Tye couldn't believe it. Two singles and that six, followed by a four. Brutal. No chance for mid-wicket fielder to stop that. A wild heave, which almost touched the moon, landed safely and went for a four even as KL Rahul with gloves chase it without success. A six to end the over, this time, over long on from Russell's long-handle. 22 runs from the over. KKR were 185/3. That no-ball, oh, KXIP.
9:26 OPM IST: What a delivery from Mohammed Shami. Hit Andre Russell's middle stump, and it turned out to be a no-ball. Free-hit. And caught a dropped at long-off boundary for a single. 10 runs from the over. Brilliant over spoiled by that fielding error. Three fielders inside the ring. R Ashwin was furious. KKR were 161/4 after 17 overs.
9:16 PM IST: 24th IPL fifty for ever reliable Robin Uthappa. A four off the last ball of the over to reach the mini-landmark. He took 41 balls. Four fours and two sixes. KKR were 153/3 after 16 overs. Hardus Viljoen completed his spell, for 1/36. Time-out.
9:11 PM IST: Varun Chakravarthy on for his third over. Already leaked 34 from his two. But the debutant got his maiden IPL wicket. Three dot balls and Nitish Rana felt the pressure. Such is the nature of this game. Rana was hitting boundaries at will, and three dots changed everything. Had him caught at long-off by Mayank Agarwal. FoW - 146/3 (14.3 Over). Chakravarthy gained some confidence and was actually turning the ball. One wicket and a single from the over. KKR were 147/3 after 15 overs. And we have Andre Russell in the centre.
Nitish Rana in action against KXIP. PTI Photo
9:06 PM IST: Nitish Rana on the song. Fifty with a four in the 28th ball he has faced so far. Then another six, over long on. 100-run stand off 59 balls for Rana and Robin Uthappa. A four, through cover. A single. Then a double, thanks to a good stop at the boundary. Uthappa deserved a four for that shot. Cover drive at its best. A wide and a double. 20 runs from the over. 57 runs from the last four overs. KKR were 146/2 after 14 overs.
9:01 PM IST: Mandeep Singh got his first over and what a poor ball to start the spell, Wide and short, and Robin Uthappa acknowledged by hitting it for a four through point. A dot ball, then Nitish Rana pulled the third ball for a six, followed by another maximum, this time square of the wicket. Rana just overtook Rishabh Pant as the season's leading run-scorer, some cap... 18 runs from Mandeep's first ever over in IPL. KKR were 126/2 after 13 overs.
8:56 PM IST: R Ashwin hit another six. Nitish Rana slog swept the third ball of the over over mid-wicket boundary. Clean hitting. Ashwin cracked? TYhe KXIP skipper followed it up with a wide. Rana then connected just enough to clear the long-off boundary for another six. Two singles and 16 runs from the over. Ashwin's figures: 4-0-47-0. KKR were 108/2 after 12 overs.
8:52 PM IST: Hardus Viljoen came back for his second over. Both Robin Uthappa and Nitish Rana have so so far failed to pick most of his deliveries, mixture of slower and faster deliveries. The over also witnessed Chris Gayle diving to stop a certain four. Three runs from the over. KKR were 92/2 after 11 overs.
8:48 PM IST: R Ashwin hit for another six. Nitish Rana lofted the second ball for a six over long on. Flat. 11 runs from the over. KKR were 89/2 after 10 overs. Rana and Robin Uthappa have added 53 runs from 39 balls, with Rana on 21 off 18 and Uthappa on 33 off 23.
8:41 PM IST: Another brilliant over from Andrew Tye. Five runs fromt it. KKR were 78/2 after nine overs. And time-out at Eden Gardens.
8:38 PM IST: R Ashwin has been hit for another six, this time by left-handed Nitish Rana. A sweep slog with some power, over long-on. That happened off the fourth ball. 11 runs from the over as Rana and Robin Uthappa added 37 in 27 balls for the third wicket. 31 of those have come in the last four overs.
8:35 PM IST: Varun Chakravarthy returned for his second over. Another expensive over from the cricketer-turned-architect. A four off the first ball, hit by Robin Uthappa. A dot then a another four, hit through the same spot – backward point. A single then two dot balls to end the over. Nine from it. 34 from two though KKR were 62/2 after seven overs.
8:30 PM IST: KXIP skipper on. Two singles from the first two balls, and a dot ball to Robin Uthappa. Then, Uthappa launched the fourth ball for a biggie, over cow corner. A a single and a dot to end the 9-run. And there's no mankading. KKR were 53/2 after six overs.
8:26 PM IST: Andrew Tye, last season's highest wicket-taker, bowled his first over in IPL 2019. And what an over. Just two singles. KKR 44/2 after five overs.
8:21 PM IST: First IPL over for Hardus Viljoen, and the South African got his first wicket in the third ball. Another skier, this time wicketkeeper KL Rahul took a well-judged catch. FoW-36/2 (3.3 Over). With that Sunil Narine's batting stint came to an end. Varun Chakravarthy must be heaving a sigh of relief. Then, Robin Uthappa hit an outlandish six, over backward point. Flat and flown. Eight runs and a wicket from the over. KKR were 42/2 after four overs.
KXIP players celebrate a KKR wicket at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. PTI Photo
8:15 PM IST: Chris Lynn wished to join Sunil Narine in smashing KXIP bowlers, but paid the price. Mohammed Shami had him caught by David Miller. FoW-34/1 (2.4 Overs). It was a skier, and the South African took a very good catch. New man Robin Uthappa offered a return catch to Shami off the very first ball he faced, but the pacer floored. Tough one. Eight runs, from the two fours hit by Lynn, and a wicket from the over. KKR were 34/1 after three overs.
8:10 PM IST: He's back. KKR seemed to have missed a trick when they opted not to open with Sunil Narine. Fortunately for them, Andre Russell got the job done. Today, Narine is in some mood. He's milked debutant Varun Chakravarthy. The over started with a single, taken by Chris Lynn. Then, Narine greeted him with a six. A double followed, then a four and two more sixes. 25 runs from the over. KKR were 26/0 after two overs.
8:04 PM IST: Brilliant first over from Mohammed Shami, with a couple of good shouts. First ball hit Chris Lynn on the pad, a dot. Four dots more, and the Aussie batsman took a single. Sunil Narine, who's playing his 100th IPL match, blocked the last ball.
7:58 PM IST: Andre Russell, who helped KKR beat SunRisers Hyderabad in their first match, just rung the bell at Eden Gardens. Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn to open for the hosts, while Mohammed Shami has got the new ball.
7: 51 PM IST: Quick look at head-to-head record: Overall, it's 15 in favour of KKR in 23 previous meetings. KXIP have won 8 times.
7:32 PM IST: Toss and team news
R Ashwin won the toss and Kings XI Punjab will bowl first. IPL debuts for Indian mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and South African pacer Hardus Viljoen, for the visitors.
KKR: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna
KXIP: Chris Gayle, KL Rahul (wk), Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller, Mandeep Singh, Andrew Tye, R Ashwin (c), Mohammed Shami, Hardus Viljoen, Varun Chakravarthy
Preview
On Sunday, chasing a target of 182 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, KKR were staring at defeat when they required 53 runs off their last three overs. Andre Russell with his four fours and four sixes along with young Shubman Gill, who smashed two sixes off the last over of renowned all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, changed the entire scenario as KKR emerged victorious in the nail-biting encounter.
Russell smashed an unbeaten 49 from 19 balls as he displayed pure power hitting skills. Left-handed batsman Nitish Rana was also instrumental in this dramatic chase as he scored 68 off 47 balls. KKR would want to carry their momentum ahead as they face KXIP on Wednesday. After this encounter against KXIP, KKR will embark on a four-match away journey and will return back to their fortress when they face Delhi Capitals on April 12.
KXIP, on the other side, would look to breach KKR’s fortress with Jamaican Gayle looking in supreme touch. The 39-year-old with his flamboyant innings of 79 in 47 balls gave a positive start to the KXIP’s campaign. The Universe Boss, who will hang his boots after the 2019 World Cup, has recently found his lost touch, as he smashed 39 sixes in the recently concluded five-match ODI series against England and set the record for most sixes by a batsman in International cricket.
Being a former KKR player, Gayle will be well versed with the conditions and the dimensions of the ground. It is to be seen how the left-handed opener will take on the spin attack of KKR comprising of Sunil Narine and Piyush Chawla. With a debate raging over the ‘mankading runout’, it remains to be seen how Ashwin and team start afresh in what will be their first away match of the season.
With the mankading incident being the talk of the town, the fans will be eager to see how R Ashwin will silence his critics. R Ashwin mankaded a set Jos Butler on Sunday, thus sparking off a debate across the cricketing world if it was within the spirit of the game. It was this incident that led to a collapse in the batting order of Rajasthan Royals as they succumbed to a 14-run defeat to KXIP.
Buttler seemed to be carrying his heroic form from the previous edition of IPL as he amassed 69 from 43 balls and Rajasthan were cruising towards their target of 185. But, his dismissal opened up the gates and Royals ended up losing 8 wickets for 62 runs, which handed KXIP their maiden win in Jaipur. Though the dismissal was within the norms of the game, It attracted debatable controversy across the cricketing world. Spin legend and Rajasthan Royals brand ambassador Shane Warne labelled this incident as "disgraceful" and against the spirit of the game.
