IPL 2024 - Muscle power unleashed in Kolkata as Andre Russell drives KKR to 208 runs vs SRH

In Match 3 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) had a good start to their clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). However, Andre Russell entered the game, and it seemed like the SRH bowlers had no answer to the onslaught the West Indies all-rounder was unleashing. His mega-show saw KKR post 208 runs on the board - the first team of this IPL edition to surpass the 200-run mark.

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After the dismissal of opener Philip Salt (54), who provided KKR with a solid platform after the flurry of wickets at the other end, Andre Russell joined the fray. At this point, the home side was 51 for 4, but with the arrival of the muscle man, there was no stopping them. 

He went on to build a quick partnership with Rinku Singh. In fact, he even reached a 20-ball fifty. This was his first fifty against SRH as prior to this, he had three unbeaten scores of exactly 49 against them. At the end of the 20 overs, Andre Russell had scored 64 runs off 25 balls, consisting of 3 fours and 7 maximums, taking KKR's score to 208 runs.

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Earlier, other KKR batters Sunil Narine (2), Venkatesh Iyer (7), Shreyas Iyer (0), and Nitish Rana (9) all fell in quick succession. Ramandeep Singh played a good cameo of 35 off 17 balls while Rinku Singh contributed with 23. For SRH, T Natarajan picked up three wickets, while Mayank Markande had two to his name, and skipper Pat Cummins claimed one.

At the toss, Sunrisers Hyderabad opted to field at the iconic Eden Gardens. The four overseas players for SRH included captain Cummins, along with Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, and Aiden Markram. For KKR, the foreign players were Philip Salt, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and the highest-paid IPL acquisition, Mitchell Starc.

Teams:

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Marco Jansen, Pat Cummins(c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, T Natarajan

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Philip Salt(w), Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.