IPL 2018, CSK vs KKR: Hits and Misses

#2 Hit: Andre Russell

Andre Russell played a swashbuckling innings

Andre Russell has been out of action for more than a year. And his return to competitive cricket was cut-short as he suffered a hamstring injury which brought an end to his PSL campaign.

However, he recovered well and was a part of KKR’s playing XI for their first game. He looked good and was slowly beginning to find his rhythm. In the second game, Russell walked out to bat with KKR at 89/5 in 10 overs.

He did score a boundary off his second ball but he was trying to give himself some time in the middle. And he didn’t go after the bowling right from the word go. He reached 20 in 16 balls by the end of the 15th over and KKR reached 123/5.

It was then that the beast in Russell was unleashed. He hit Shardul Thakur for a couple of sixes to kick-start the carnage. Bravo was then hit for 3 more sixes out of which one was sent out of the ground.

And then in the last 2 overs, Russell struck 5 sixes to propel KKR’s score over 200. Russell’s 36-ball 88 dragged KKR from a difficult position to a commanding one. He struck 11 sixes and 1 four in his stunning blitz.

And then with the ball, Andre Russell seemed like KKR’s best bowler, especially in the powerplay. He gave away 16 in his first two overs in the powerplay where CSK scored 75. After giving away just 20 runs in his first 3 overs, Russell was taken for 15 runs in his last over.

However, his 88 was a brutal and a match-changing innings but Sam Billings stole the show with a stunning performance.