Venky Mysore recalls the incident when Andre Russell was in tears after seeing the love from fans

The much-anticipated cricket tournament of 2020, the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League is going to be held from September 19 to November 8 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

One prominent difference in the hosting of the league from last year is that the matches would be organized in the absence of crowds. This time IPL would be played in a biosecure bubble keeping in mind all the health guidelines in the view of the coronavirus pandemic.

While speaking on the impact of spectators on the players, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) CEO Venky Mysore stated that many players thrive on the energy from the crowd and gets highly motivated by the reaction of people present in the stadium. Citing an example of a match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mysore revealed an interesting anecdote involving West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell and Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

In an interview with Indranil Basu on Sportskeeda Cricket’s Facebook page, Venky narrated the incident where Russell hit Kumar for an incredible six over long-off.

“I think it’s safe to say that it’ll be very different. In the IPL, the players will experience no crowds for the first time. Last year, we were playing a game against Sunrisers and it was an impossible situation. One of the best death bowlers in Bhuvneshwar Kumar was bowling and he (Andre Russell) went in.”

“It was Andre Russell’s day and he took him apart. There was one shot he played to a slowish ball outside off-stump. He could barely reach it but he hit it for six. I asked him after the game what that shot was,” said the CEO of KKR.

Russell said that he had goosebumps: Venky Mysore

Continuing the story further, Venky revealed that Russell told him that he was greatly moved by the reaction of the crowd and he got goosebumps and tears in his eyes by seeing the love of the fans.

“He said, ‘Man, I don’t know. When I’m playing like that, the crowd gets me going. After I hit that shot, the way the crowd reacted, I had goosebumps and tears in my eyes’. This is the impact the crowd has on the players,” Venky added.

Mysore also named Andre Russell as the Michael Jordan of T20 cricket for his astonishing performance with the bat and ball. The 2019 IPL was a dream league for the Caribbean all-rounder as he was at his destructive best throughout that season. Russell slammed 510 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 204.81.