Andre Russell is one of the all-time greats of the Indian Premier League. It’s an indisputable fact. One of four players to have smashed more sixes than fours in IPL, one of three players with multiple Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, and one of two players to have scored 2,000 runs and taken 100 wickets. Russell will make it to the all-time playing XI of most fans and critcis. Yet, his utilisation by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the ongoing Indian Premier League has been sub-par.
On April 15, Punjab Kings (PBKS) and KKR will clash at the New PCA Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. The action is set to begin at 7:30 pm.
Andre Russell’s batting performance
Russell has scored 17 runs from 20 balls and bowled just 39 balls (6.3 overs) in the six matches this season. Among all the players who were retained ahead of the mega auction, Russell’s numbers are near the bottom of the charts in terms of balls faced and balls bowled. Let’s explore the reason.
Russell didn’t come to bat in 2 of the 3 matches KKR have won this season.
KKR’s usage of Russell is a bit similar to CSK’s usage of MS Dhoni. Russell doesn’t have a fixed batting position. He arrives based on the match situation. KKR used Manish Pandey as the impact sub, ahead of Russell, against Mumbai Indians, just like the way CSK tried Deepak Hooda ahead of MS Dhoni. KKR lost 2 points against LSG, by delaying Russell’s entry. Instead of sending him at the end of the 13th over (Rahane’s dismissal), they sent Ramandeep Singh and Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Both batters got out cheaply, and Russell walked in at the end of the 15th over.
Interestingly, Russell didn’t bat even once in the 6 chases of KKR, last year. Russell batted 9 times and scored 222 runs at a strike rate of 185 in IPL 2024.
Andre Russell’s bowling
Russell has taken 5 wickets in 6.3 overs this season.
Russell took 19 wickets in 14 innings last season. He bowled 2 or more overs on 8 occasions and KKR won 7 of those.
A match-winner
Russell has contributed one run and two wickets in the three wins of KKR this season. KKR bat deep and they also have quite a few all-rounders in their ranks. Ajinkya Rahane and the management must be aware of Russell’s minimal impact. More than the impact, it’s the utilisation that is on the lower side. Can we see a change in the upcoming matches?
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