‘Russell the muscle’ - Netizens go berserk as Andre Russell-Rinku Singh propel KKR to mammoth total against SRH

Game 3 of the ongoing IPL (Indian Premier League) 2024 featured a clash between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday, March 23.  The clash was the first of the season for both sides, and both aimed to get off to a glowing start. 

The much-awaited encounter began with Kolkata Knight Riders coming in to bat first after losing the toss. The two-time champions opened with the duo of Phil Salt and Sunil Narine. Salt put forth a magnificent performance, scoring 54 runs in 40 deliveries. Furthermore, Narine was sent back to the pavilion for two runs in four balls as well. 

Things went from bad to worse for the side as Venkatesh Iyer departed for just seven runs, with skipper Shreyas Iyer getting out for a duck, and Nitish Rana scored just nine runs as well. 

The innings were stabilised by the side’s lower middle order as Ramandeep Singh scored 35 runs, with Rinku Singh adding 23 runs in 15 deliveries and Andre Russell’s knock being the highlight of the first innings. 

Russell came into bat during a tough time for KKR’s batting lineup. However, the star all-rounder scored 64 runs in 25 deliveries, helped the two-time champions post a total of 208 runs in the first innings and lost seven wickets in the process. 

As for Sunrisers Hyderabad, T. Natarajan was the highest wicket-taker for his side in the first innings, with three wickets to his name. Mayank Markande took two wickets as well, with Pat Cummins striking once as well. 

As the second innings approaches, Hyderabad need to chase down a mammoth total of 209 runs to win their first game of the IPL 2024. On the other hand, Kolkata will aim to put in their best showing with the ball to defend the total.

Here is how X reacted to the first innings of the clash: