Bangalore: Opener Chris Lynn has called Andre Russell the ‘billion dollar man’ for Kolkata Knight Riders, overwhelmed by the Jamaican’s explosive hitting in the IPL.
Needing 66 runs off 24 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore, KKR were up against it before Russell came in and smashed an unbeaten 48 off 13 balls to complete the job with five balls to spare.
His knock comprised seven sixes and one four.
“We keep putting him (Russell) in tough situations and he keeps lifting his game. He is just too good. 215 was probably par on that wicket,” Lynn said after the game.
“Both teams gave opportunities. We dropped Kohli and ABD and RCB also dropped a couple of chances. We had luck on our side. Change of fortune for us. It is unbelievable and entertaining for us. He (Russell) keeps doing it. He is a billion dollar man for KKR,” he added.
Russell’s brutal hitting came after Virat Kohli (84 off 49) and AB de Villiers (63 off 32) recreated their ‘magic’ with a delightful 108-run stand to take RCB to 205 for three.
KKR were kept alive in the chase through opener Chris Lynn (43 off 31), Robin Uthappa (33 off 25) and Nitish Rana (37 off 23) before Russell singlehandedly got the job done in the death overs.
PTI