IPL 2019: Match 47, KKR vs MI, Review – Andre Russell clobbers visitors out of equation to delay their qualification

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were under high pressure in the must-win game against the Mumbai Indians (MI). They lost six games before this and had to win here at all costs. Oh boy! didn’t they respond beautifully in this tough situation. Andre Russell went berserk in this game putting a full-stop to all the pre-match talks. Along with Shubman Gill and Chris Lynn, he lit up the Eden Garden with a devastating knock.

The Mumbai Indians’ bowlers were clobbered to all corners of the park. Even the best in the business, Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga couldn’t resist this carnage. 232 – the score that KKR put up in this game is their second-highest in the IPL. Such a massive total was never chased down and it didn’t happen this time either. Hardik Pandya played an exceptional knock in this game but his efforts weren’t sufficient. While KKR stay alive in the tournament, MI will have to wait longer to qualify for the playoffs.

Andre Russell destroys the bowling

The Knight Riders, after being put into bat first, continued to open the innings with Gill and Lynn. Both these men got the team off to a flyer and laid a wonderful platform for the big hitters to take over. After putting on 96 runs together in 9.3 overs, Chris Lynn was the first to throw the towel in. The Australian got out after accruing 54 runs from 29 balls.

Shubman Gill, however, kept going strong and even dominated Andre Russell who walked in at number three. He played some glorious shots but was dismissed for 76, his highest score ever in the IPL. Then, Russell took over and Dinesh Karthik was a mere spectator at the other end. The skipper remained unbeaten on 15 from 7 balls. The Jamaican, meanwhile, was destructive towards the end. In the final 19 balls that he faced, he scored 51 runs and remained unbeaten on 80 runs from 40 balls. This batting carnage helped KKR get to a mammoth 232/2 in 20 overs.

Hardik Pandya gives the KKR team a massive heart attack

Mumbai lost Quinton de Kock for a fourth ball duck in the chase. Soon, Rohit Sharma also got out for 12 runs and the team was already in great trouble. After the openers fell, Andre Russell was introduced into the attack. He responded by picking up the wickets of Evin Lewis and Suryakumar Yadav. The latter scored 26 runs from 14 balls before he got out.

While Mumbai seemed to be out of the race at this stage, Hardik added life bat to the innings with a blistering knock. The all-rounder was unbelievable in this game and score 91 runs from just 34 balls. He hit the ball cleaner than ever and it seemed as if he’d even win it for MI. However, the efforts fell short and he missed out on a well-deserved hundred.

Brief Scores:

KKR: 232/2 in 20 overs (Andre Russell 80*, Shubman Gill 76, Hardik Pandya 1/31)

MI: 198/7 in 20 overs (Hardik Pandya 91, Suryakumar Yadav 26, Andre Russell 2/25)

Result: Kolkata Knight Riders won the match by 34 runs.

Man of the Match: Andre Russell

Points Table

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