Andre Russell owns most POTM awards for KKR: Stats
Kolkata Knight Riders beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by a solitary run in Match 36 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Eden Gardens. Player-of-the-Match Andre Russell stood out for the Knight Riders with his all-round show as he scored an unbeaten 27 besides claiming three wickets in the game. Russell now has the most POTM awards for KKR.
Russell's all-round brilliance
Russell scored a 20-ball 27* to power KKR to 222/6 while batting first (4 fours). Though he struggled to get going initially, he found the ropes toward the end. Russell then dented RCB's chase by dismissing well-set half-centurions Will Jacks (55) and Rajat Patidar (52) in his first over. Dinesh Karthik (25) was his last victim as he claimed 3/25 in three overs.
Most POTM awards for KKR
As per ESPNcricinfo, Russell now has 15 POTM awards in 112 IPL outings for the Knight Riders. He broke a tie with Sunil Narine, who owns 14 such honors for KKR. Gautam Gambhir (10) is the only other player with at least 10 POTM awards for KKR. Among West Indies players, only Chris Gayle (22) owns the most POTM awards in IPL than Russell.
Here are his IPL numbers
Russell has now raced to 2,417 IPL runs at a strike rate of 174.64 (50s: 11). The tally includes 105 scalps at an economy of 9.31. In the ongoing season, the seasoned all-rounder has raced to 155 runs (SR: 184.52) and nine wickets. He has tallied 423 runs and 17 wickets against RCB in IPL.
How did the game pan out?
Philip Salt's 14-ball 48 got KKR off to a flier. Shreyas Iyer later scored a 36-ball 50 as KKR finished at 222/6. Meanwhile, fiery fifties from Patidar and Jacks meant RCB were cruising at 137/2 at one stage. However, Russell's three-fer helped KKR fold their opposition for 221. This was KKR's 50th IPL win at the Eden Gardens.
