Top 3 Fastest Strike Rates of Andre Russell in IPL History

A storm came inside the Eden Gardens today during the clash between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad by the name of Andre Russell. The all-rounder is known to hit the big shots from the first delivery he faces and can turn the match in his side’s favour without much difficulty. 

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Although Andre Russell endured a poor run of form in the past two editions of the IPL, the Kolkata Knight Riders kept the faith in his ability by retaining him for INR 16.50 Crores. Whether he would be able to live upto the price tag was a question on every cricket fan’s mind. He has certainly done so during the first encounter of his franchise against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The all-rounder came onto bat with his side struggling at 119 runs for 6 wickets and left his mark with a significant knock under pressure. He batted with full freedom as he scored 64 runs off 25 deliveries which included seven sixes and three fours. Aiden Markram had the chance to dismiss him but it ended up not being a clean catch and the decision was overturned. His innings powered his side to a competitive total of 208 runs from their 20 overs. 

Over the years, we have seen some of the most blistering and flamboyant knocks from the bat of the veteran all-rounder. His exploits in the Indian Premier League have already gone down in history to be some of the best innings of the tournament’s history. Even in the toughest of situations, the West Indies international can swing the momentum into the team’s favour.

Here are the top three strike rates of Andre Russell in an IPL history:

3. 48(17) vs PBKS 2019 (SR - 282.35)

Andre Russell is known to play the role of the finisher and end the innings with a flurry of boundaries for his side. During the Kolkata Knight Riders’ encounter against Kings XI Punjab in the 12th edition of the IPL, the all-rounder did so perfectly as he scored a crucial 48-run knock-off just 17 balls. This allowed his side to reach a total of 218 runs, which was the highest total at the Eden Gardens at that point of time. 

Mohammed Shami had the chance to stop the carnage before it even unfolded as he had bowled Russell out when he was at just three runs. However, to his dismay, the umpire signalled for a no-ball and this blistering innings provided the right finish to the team's innings. After this no-ball incident, the side was able to manage 56 runs off just 19 balls with most of the flourish coming from Russell’s bat.

2.  41(12) vs DD 2018 (SR - 341.66)

There are very few players who are known to bat at a strike rate of more than 300 but Andre Russell is one of them. At the Eden Gardens once again, the West Indies all-rounder struck the biggest of blows against the mighty Delhi Daredevils bowling attack. He gave the team the much-needed momentum and helped his side post a decent total on the scoreboard.

In that encounter, Russell came onto bat during the 14th over of the innings with the score just at 117 runs for four wickets. Once again, Mohammad Shami produced an opportunity to dismiss the batter but Jason Roy at long-on was not able to hold on to the difficult chance. This ended up costing them plenty of runs as Russell took the bowlers to the cleaners with a humongous 41-run knockoff just 12 deliveries at a strike rate of 341. 

1.  48*(13) vs RCB 2019 (SR - 369.23)

Every cricket fan who has watched the Indian Premier League has seen this monstrous innings from the all-rounder. This inning of Russell left a scar in the heart of every Royal Challengers Bangalore fan. He did something that possibly nobody could have imagined and won the match for his side from an impossible position. 

Kolkata Knight Riders needed 64 runs from 24 deliveries with a required run-rate of 16. Andre Russell took the bowling attack to every corner of the ground as he scored an unbeaten knock of 48 off just 13 balls. He was assisted by the lacklustre bowling of the opposition and Russell is known to send all the balls into the stands when he is in such form. He was able to finish off this run-chase with five balls to spare which shows the kind of destruction that happened at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium that day in the final four overs.