Twitter Reactions: Andre Russell's all-round blitz keep KKR's playoff hopes alive
Andre Russell was the chief architect of the side’s triumph as he impressed with both bat and the ball.
Fifth defeat on the trot for Sunrisers Hyderabad! They have truly been astonishing in IPL 2022. Kolkata Knight Riders are the latest to thrash them and that too in a convincing manner. Standing in a do-or-die contest, Shreyas Iyer’s men put up an emphatic show and defeated SRH by 54 runs. Andre Russell was the chief architect of the side’s triumph as he impressed with both bat and the ball.
Earlier in the match, Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and surprisingly, elected to bat at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. The move didn’t pay dividends straight away as opener Venkatesh Iyer perished at a personal score of just seven. The repair work was then done by Ajinkya Rahane and Nitish Rana with the duo adding 48 runs for the second wicket.
Unfortunately for KKR, none of the two could convert their starts as Umran Malik bowled a fiery spell in the middle overs. The pacer took three quick wickets as the Knight Riders found themselves in a spot of bother. Even the in-form Rinku Singh perished after scoring five. Just when the Sunrisers looked firmly on command, Sam Billings and Andre Russell showcased their brilliance and enhanced the scoring rate.
Andre Russell provided the late impetus
While Billings scored 34 off 29 balls, Russell was the wrecker-in-chief, slamming an unbeaten 28-ball 49. As a result, the Knight Riders posted 177/6 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, SRH got off to a rusty start as skipper Kane Williamson’s struggle in the powerplay overs continued. Abhishek Sharma did play some fine shots early on but Williamson’s inability to rotate strike meant the scoring rate was on the lower side.
The New Zealand international eventually fell prey to Andre Russell after scoring nine off 17 balls. The in-form Rahul Tripathi also scored as many runs as tension ignited in SRH camp. While Abhishek did look impressive during his stay at the crease, he also walked back after scoring 43. The Orange Army couldn’t regain momentum afterwards as the tale of falling wickets continued.
Aiden Markram’s departure for 32 sealed KKR’s triumph as SRH were eventually restricted to 123/8, losing the contest by 54 runs. While all KKR bowlers were among the wickets, Russell was the pick of them, recording figures of 3/22 in four overs.
Meanwhile, let’s look at how Twitter reacted to KKR’s triumph:
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