'Unfortunately good finishers like me and DK, we didn’t get bat to ball' - Andre Russell after KKR's loss

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Andre Russell admitted that his team should have chased down the target of 153 runs against Mumbai Indians. Despite being in a commanding position during the chase, KKR suffered a collapse as they went onto lose the game by 10 runs.

After KKR had restricted MI to a manageable score, their openers provided them a strong start with a 72-run stand for the first wicket. However, once they lost a wicket, the remaining team fell in quick time, leading KKR to an improbable defeat.

Meanwhile, Russell, who bagged a fifer in only a two-over spell, was unable to fire with the bat when he was out alongside Dinesh Karthik with his team needing 31 runs from five overs. The 10-run loss was KKR’s 22^nd defeat against MI in the league’s history and their dry run continues.

It was a bit difficult to hit at the end: Andre Russell

Admitting that he should have batted better in the last few overs, Russell said: “Yeah, it was a bit difficult to hit at the end. The guys were bowling cutters, and they were bowling into the wicket. But at the end of the day, we are professionals. Not going to look for any excuses. We should have crossed the line tonight.”

“We know what we can do, and I know what I can do. Unfortunately good finishers like me and DK, we didn’t get bat to ball. If we had got a few boundaries, the game would have been over. We are going to go back to the drawing board. We have been playing some good cricket. It is just about moving from this game and going from strength to strength,” he added.

Russell was given two lives in the game. “I was just playing each ball on its merit. Not trying to get out. Unfortunately, you get a delivery in the slot, and you think you can get it away… Luckily, I got dropped two times, and the third time, I wasn’t that lucky. It’s a game of cricket. We don’t try to do the wrong things all the time, but they happen.”

“It’s part of the game. Sometimes luck goes your way. Sometimes it doesn’t. At that time, I was looking to rotate the strike, not allow too many dot balls. Once we would have ticked over, we knew we would have been good. I didn’t get any runs, and that’s what built a bit of pressure on me.”, he concluded.