IPL 2019, KKR vs SRH, Who Said What: World reacts to Russell's onslaught and KKR's stunning victory

The second match of the IPL saw KKR lock horns with SRH. A high-scoring encounter was finally served up as the two sides made merry on a flat surface.

Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and elected to field. Sunrisers opened with their dynamic batting duo of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow. Warner, making his return, showed everyone why he is such an important player to SRH and the IPL as he smashed his way to a 53-ball 85, while Bairstow played second fiddle, scoring 39 runs.

Vijay Shankar provided the finishing touches to the innings, playing a nice little cameo of 40 runs and propelling SRH to a score of 181.

KKR did not have a great start to their innings as they lost Chris Lynn very early. The required run rate kept increasing as SRH bowled well in the middle overs, applying the stranglehold. The partnership between Nitish Rana and Robin Uthappa was slow but necessary as they kept their side in the game.

The run rate kept increasing for KKR but with Nitish Rana getting boundaries regularly, the match was still evenly-poised with both sides capable of getting a result. There was also a little interruption in the middle with one of the floodlight towers going off, adding to the drama.

KKR required 53 off the last 3 overs, and that’s when Andre Russell came to the party, scoring 49 off just 19 balls. Shubman Gill finished the match by hitting 2 huge sixes off Shakib Al Hasan in the last over as KKR snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Now, we take a look at how the world reacted to the hosts' amazing victory:

Michael Vaughan:

Dre Russ !!! 👀👀 & @RealShubmanGill 👀👀 ... #IPL2019 The young lad is going to be some player ...

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) March 24, 2019

Harsha Bhogle:

Incredible from Andre Russell. The scariest finisher in T20 cricket. And Vijay Shankar of India, who bowls, goes back to being the Vijay Shankar of the IPL who doesn't.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) March 24, 2019

Ian Bishop:

Couldn’t get to watch the game but that must have been some ball striking by Dre Russell. 49 off 19 to take @KKRiders home. Who watched it?

— ian bishop (@irbishi) March 24, 2019

Mohandas Menon:

For me this Andre Russell is the #universeboss#KKRvSRH #IPL2019

— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) March 24, 2019

Umang Pabari:

Most wins against an opposition in IPL:18 - MI v KKR15 - CSK v RCB*15 - KKR v KXIP14 - MI v RCB#CSKvRCB

— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) March 23, 2019

Tim:

That Andre Russell innings - as KKR scored 54 in their last 16 balls to win - distils why power hitting can make ground fielding, and smart running between the wickets, irrelevant in T20. Power hitting like that makes '1 percenters' irrelevant

— Tim (@timwig) March 24, 2019

Sreedhar Pillai:

Magnificent win for @KKRiders over @SunRisers with 2 balls remaining . Big hitter #AndreRussell went berserk and @KKRiders snatched victory from jaws of defeat!

— Sreedhar Pillai (@sri50) March 24, 2019

Ayaz Memon:

Extraordinary turnaround at the Eden through Andre Russell’s blazing bat. Gill finishing match with two soaring sixes was icing on the cake for KKR.

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) March 24, 2019

Vikrant Gupta:

The Night of Andre Russell #KKRvSRH

— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) March 24, 2019

Arinjay Ghosh:

The muscle on Andre Russell and the class of Shubman Gill helps KKR script a miracle.The IPL is back and you just have to love the magic of it! #KKRvSRH #KKRHaiTaiyaar @ibtimes_indiahttps://t.co/IvHBdxfb3U

— Arinjay Ghosh (@Arinjay_IBT) March 24, 2019

Sampath Badarupalli:

Sandeep Sharma conceded 72 runs in 27 balls between his last two wickets in the IPL.He conceded 42 runs from his last two overs in the IPL 2018 final and 30 off 2.3 overs before Dinesh Karthik's wicket today. #IPL2019 #KKRvSRH

— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats) March 24, 2019

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