Top 5 memorable moments of Andre Russell for Kolkata Knight Riders

Another glorious chapter is approaching its conclusion. West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell is all set to say good bye to international cricket. As per reports, with the opening two games of the five-match T20I series against Australia at home, the 37-year-old will be retiring. Apart from his career with the national team, the all-rounder’s career is vastly described through various T20 franchise leagues. Russell’s T20 cricket journey can’t be described without the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). With this IPL team, the giant played multiple match-turning innings. Through this article we will explore the top 5 memorable moments from the West Indies star for KKR.

TOP 5 memorable moments of Andre Russell in IPL with KKR:

70* vs Punjab Kings, IPL 2022:

 It was a low-scoring IPL 2022 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Kolkata Knight Riders. Punjab was only restricted to 137. The target was not a big one, but the fall of early wickets put Kolkata under pressure. KKR lost their 4 wickets only for 56. From there the Russell show began. He came and smashed 70 runs off just 31 deliveries with 8 huge over boundaries to end the game with 33 deliveries to spare. This can be easily considered as one of Andre’s best innings for the multi-time IPL champion team.

 88* vs Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2018:

 A pure example of power hitting. KKR, batting first, posted 202 runs on the scoreboard when Russell, at his prime, hoisted deliveries all over the park to score 88 against 36 balls, powered by 11 sixes and just 1 boundary. But sadly, this monstrous effort came for a losing cause. Chennai Super Kings eventually won the game, thanks to Sam Billings. Beyond the result of the match, the innings from Russell will always remain in the record book.

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 51 runs and 1 wicket vs Kings XI Punjab, IPL 2015:

Chasing a target of 184, KKR was in deep trouble. Wickets were falling at regular intervals when Russell stepped into the crease with a bat after claiming a wicket in the later part of the first innings. The swashbuckling batter came into the ground with the blade to amass a 21-ball, 51-run innings with the help of four sixes to help KKR win the game by 1 wicket with 1 delivery to spare.

48 vs. Gujarat Titans, 2019:

A nicely poised match at DY Patil Stadium could be concluded in a different manner if Andre Russell and Alzarri Joseph remained wicketless. Chasing a target of 157, the KKR batting line-up tumbled. Andre Russell’s wicket proved decisive when he departed for 48 from only 25 deliveries. Maintaining a strike rate of 192.00, he smashed 6 over boundaries and one boundary to make the match more entertaining. After losing his wicket, KKR was not able to hold the momentum and lost the match. 

5/15 vs. Mumbai Indians, 2021:

On Apr 13, 2021, Andre Russell’s spellbinding bowling spell pushed Mumbai Indians on their back foot for a while. In his 2-over spell, the all-rounder bagged 5 wickets for only 15 runs and restricted MI to 152 at Chennai. But the lackluster batting effort by KKR allowed Mumbai Indians to win the game by 10 runs. Apart from the openers, Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana, no other Knight Riders batter got a double-digit score aside from their names.