After hitting an undefeated 64 off only 25 deliveries in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) opening match of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Saturday, Andre Russell added another feather to his cap.
The hard-hitting all-rounder became the fastest hitter to 200 sixes in the IPL in terms of balls faced after smashing seven maximums during his time at the crease. He has been retained by the Knight Riders ahead of the massive auction in 2022 as well as in the following seasons.
Popular among cricket fans as ‘Dre Russ’, Russell eventually overtook fellow Jamaican Chris Gayle to take the title as the new record holder. In contrast to the “Universe Boss,” who required 1,811 balls to accomplish the same milestone, Russell reached it in just 1,322 deliveries.
As a result, Russell has made sixes for more than half of his runs in the IPL.
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After being summoned to bat by Sunrisers captain Pat Cummins, the two-time champions recovered from a stutter in the middle overs to record a threatening 208/7 on the scoreboard thanks to the fireworks off his bat at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
After Phil Salt was removed from the game by leg-spinner Mayank Markande for a forty-ball fifty-four, Russell joined Rinku Singh at the crease. In the leggie’s last over of the day, Russell made an immediate impression by hitting three sixes in five deliveries off the same bowler.
In Markande’s last delivery of the day, Russell was seemingly caught by Aiden Markram early on, but replays seemed to indicate the South African had grassed the ball during his heroic try, therefore the third umpire decided in favor of the hitter.
After KKR was once again reduced to 119/6, Russell struck his way to a 20-ball half-century and helped the team surpass 200 runs.
He would go on to make a contribution with the ball later on, dismissing SRH opener Abhishek Sharma as they attempted to reach the 209-run target.
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