Andre Russell Single-Handedly Takes KKR To A Thumping Victory Against Punjab Kings

KKR vs PBKS IPL 2022: Andre Russell smacked 70* runs as KKR defeated PBKS by 6 wickets in the 7th match.

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KKR vs PBKS IPL 2022: Another match that may have become a low-scoring thriller was changed completely by just one man - Andre Russell, who smacked Punjab Kings' bowlers all-around to take KKR to a 6-wicket win against PBKS in the 7th match of IPL 2022. 

Chasing a low total of 138, Kolkata Knight Riders lost their first wicket on the last ball of the second over. Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed for 12 off 11 balls after smacking 3 boundaries. The scoreline read 14/1 as Odean Smith caught out Rahane on Rabada's bowling. KKR lost their second wicket in the form of Venkatesh Iyer as Harpreet Brar took an outstanding catch in the 5th over. 

KKR then went on to lose Shreyas Iyer to Rahul Chahar in the 7th over and then Nitish Rana in the same over. Then, out came Andre Russell. At the start of his innings, Dre Russ started off cautiously and scored 2 runs off 6 balls. However, in the 10th over, Russell smashed Harpreet Brar for two sixes. Russell then smacked 3 sixes and a four in Odean Smith's over and the onslaught started which only ended when Andre Russell smacked Liam Livingstone for two back-to-back sixes in the 15th over.

Russell was expertly assisted by Sam Billings from the other end, who anchored the innings well enough and made sure Russell was on strike for most of the deliveries. Billings finished not out on24 runs in 23 balls with a four and a six. Together, Russell and Billings added 90 runs off 47 balls for the 5th wicket to win the match for KKR. The West Indian scored 70 runs in this partnership while Billings added 16 runs.

Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and asked Punjab Kings to bat first. With wickets at regular intervals, PBKS were restricted to 137 in 18.2 overs. Bhanuka Rajapaksa was the top scorer for Punjab Kings with his 31 runs from just 9 balls while Rabada played a quick knock of 25 runs in 16 balls in the death overs. 

For KKR, Umesh Yadav picked up 4 wickets with a maiden in his quota of 4 overs, giving away just 23 runs. Tim Southee also picked up 2 wickets apart from 2 well-taken catches, while Shivam Mavi, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell managed 1 wicket each. 

This is Kolkata Knight Riders' second win in three matches while Punjab Kings now stand with 1 win and 1 loss in 2 games played. KKR will play their next match against MI at MCA Stadium, Pune on April 6th whereas PBKS will take on CSK at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai on April 3rd. 

Brief Score: 

• Punjab Kings - 137/10 in 18.2 overs (Bhanuka - 31, Umesh - 4/23)
• Kolkata Knight Riders - 141/4 in 14.3 overs (Russell - 70*, Chahar - 2/13); win by 6 wickets