IPL 2019: Top 4 individual knocks from the Week 1

#3 Andre Russell - 49(19) vs SRH

Picture Courtesy: iplt20.com

The Jamaican all-rounder is considered to be one of the fiercest hitters of a cricket ball in this generation and he didn’t disappoint the home crowd in KKR’s first home game.

Against one of the better bowling attacks in the IPL, Andre Russell’s pyrotechnics helped KKR snatch a win from the jaws of defeat to get a winning start in this year’s campaign for the men in purple.

After Warner’s power hitting, KKR needed 182 to win the match. The match was soon going out of their grasp and especially when Nitish Rana (68 off 47) was dismissed by Rashid Khan in the 16th over, SRH looked like they had the match in their bag.

Andre Russell had different ideas though. Needing 53 off the last 3 overs, the powerful right-hander got the measure of the wicket and scored 19 off the 18th over which included a couple of sixes and a four off Siddarth Kaul to give the home side more than a glimmer of hope.

Even at that stage, SRH would have hoped to win because Bhuvneshwar Kumar had the ball for the penultimate over. But when Andre Russell keeps his head still and does not look to over hit the ball, he sends them a long way. Bhuvneshwar was right in the hot spot as he gave away 21 runs and that left 13 to get off the last over.

Although Shumban Gill finished the game with two sixes in the final over, Russell’s 19-ball 49 was too good on the day for the Men in Orange.