IPL 2023: KKR score 171/9 against SRH; Jansen, Natarajan fire
Kolkata Knight Riders scored 171/9 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 47th match of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh starred with 40+ runs, while Andre Russell slammed a 15-ball 24. Marco Jansen and T Natarajan took two wickets each for SRH. Mayank Markande delivered a terrific spell, having dismissed Russell.
KKR lose three wickets in Powerplay
KKR had a patchy start after they opted to bat. Although Jason Roy started in grand fashion, Jansen dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Venkatesh Iyer in the same over. Jansen continued to thwart the batters with his pace and bounce. Kartik Tyagi scalped a wicket on his first ball of IPL 2023, dismissing Roy. KKR were 49/3 after six overs.
Russell completes 600 T20 sixes
Russell has joined an illustrious club in T20 cricket, becoming just the third batter ever to reach a milestone of 600 sixes. Russell, who had smashed 598 sixes, hit two maximums after the Knight Riders were reduced to 96/4 in 11.2 overs. Unlike the last few games, Russell started well but got dismissed for a 15-ball 24 (1 four, 2 sixes).
Russell joins an elite list
Playing his 446th match (384 innings) in the 20-over format, Russell has now smashed 600 sixes. He also has 500 fours under his belt. Russell is just the third batter after Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard with 600-plus sixes. Gayle leads the show with 1,056 sixes. Fellow West Indian Pollard smacked 812 maximums. No other batter has over 500 sixes.
Nitish, Rinku fire for KKR
While Rana rescued the Knight Riders with a 42-run knock, Rinku capitalized upon it. The latter maximized his bright form in the ongoing season with a 46-run knock. Rinku, who struck five unbelievable sixes in an over last month, fell short of slamming his third IPL half-century. Rinku failed to deliver in the final over, falling to Natarajan.
