IPL 2018: Joy Bhattacharya hails Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had a formidable lineup in the 2014 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). They won the title in that season for the second occasion after 2012. Andre Russell, who is currently a stalwart for the Men in Gold and Purple, was roped in by the franchise for a mere INR 60 lakhs. However, he didn’t let his team down and is a fulcrum of their setup.

Following this year’s auction, several players from the franchise moved to other teams. The Knights refrained from retaining them and they subsequently were drafted in by some other franchises. Yusuf Pathan is currently plying his trade for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He played for KKR since 2011 and stayed there for seven seasons before moving to the Orange Army.

Joy Bhattacharya, a former team director of the Knights in the T20 mega event, recently reminisced some moments of camaraderie between Yusuf and Russell and mentioned how they gelled well despite their barriers in language. The ambience in the team was exceptional which can also be justified by the fact that they won as many as two titles during that while.

Here is what he wrote on Facebook

“I was around when they first got introduced, in 2014 during a practice session in Dubai, and Pathan visibly warmed to Russell’s big wide grin. That year, they were inseparable during practice. The amazing thing was that they would spend almost all their time together laughing at the smallest of things, language had a very little part to play.
Andre Russell and Yusuf Pathan. Two of the nicest men in world cricket.”

KKR and SRH will lock horns with each other in the Qualifier 2 of the T20 tournament. The winner of the match goes straight into the final against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) while the loser gets knocked out. Meanwhile, Yusuf and Russell are in different camps and both will be keen to overpower each other on the cricket pitch.

Here is the post

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