Gill’s 76, Russell’s 80 Power KKR to Highest Total of This Season
Shubman Gill and Andre Russell powered Kolkata Knight Riders to a massive 232/2 against Mumbai Indians.
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Shubman Gill and Andre Russell powered Kolkata Knight Riders to a massive 232/2 against Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens on Sunday, 28 April.
Young opener Gill scored a 45-ball 76 while Russell smashed a 40-ball 80 as KKR posted the highest total this season.
Staring at elimination following a six-match losing streak, the embattled KKR got off to a fiery start with Shubman Gill and Chris Lynn (54) putting on a 96-run opening stand, their highest this season, after Rohit Sharma opted to bowl in his 100th match as captain.
Andre Russell, KKR's biggest impact player of the season, was finally seen higher up the order at No 3. The West Indies power-hitter ensured that KKR finished on a high with an unbeaten 80 off 40 balls.
Russell hammered six fours and eight sixes including one off the last ball after he denied a couple of singles to skipper Dinesh Karthik in the last over as KKR creamed 75 runs from the last five overs and scored 135 in the final 10.
Fielding let down Mumbai Indians big time with both Lynn and Russell dropped early in their innings by Kieron Pollard and Evin Lewis respectively.
The top-order batting was all about the sheer class of the 19-year-old Gill, who showed why he is billed as the future star of Indian cricket.
Gill smashed six fours and four sixes en route to his second half-century of the season and forged a crucial stand with Russell. The duo shared 62 runs from 35 balls of which Gill had a share of 34, while Russell scored 24.
Gill was at his best against Rahul Chahar and three of his four sixes came against the leg-spinner.
Such was the sheer class of Gill that Russell was glad to play second fiddle and was six off 12 balls after being dropped on one.
On a belter of a track, KKR openers got off to a sensational start and survived the powerplay without losing a wicket for their highest opening stand – 96 – this season.
Slow to start with, Lynn was 18 off 15 balls when Kieron Pollard spilled a chance from the Aussie at mid-off.
Lynn took off from there on, hammering the spin duo of Krunal Pandya and Chahar to race to his fourth IPL fifty this season off just 27 balls.
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