3 best bowling performances in KKR-GT matches in IPL ft. Andre Russell
In a crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 game, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be up against the challenge of Gujarat Titans (GT) at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. It is the first match-up between both teams in this season.
KKR are coming into this game after becoming the first team to qualify for the playoffs, with nine victories in 12 games. Their confidence will be fueled by overcoming the challenge of Mumbai Indians by 18 runs.
On the other hand, GT will be hoping for a miracle, as they need to win their remaining two games by a big margin to stake a claim for the playoffs. They have five wins in 12 appearances, with the most recent one coming against Chennai Super Kings by 35 runs.
Historically, only three games have been played between franchises, with the Gujarat-based franchise holding an edge with two victories. On that note, let's check out the finest performances by bowlers in these games:
#3 Sunil Narine - 3/33
The highest wicket-taker for KKR in IPL history, Sunil Narine ranks third on the top performances between both teams. In the 13th game of the 2023 season, Narine secured an early breakthrough of Wriddhiman Saha (17).
Then, he dismissed Shubman Gill (39) and broke his blossoming partnership with Sai Sudharsan (53). The wily spinner got rid of Narine in the death overs as well. In the end, Vijay Shankar (63* off 24) was terrific to boost GT to 204.
In response, the Knight Riders got contributions from Venkatesh Iyer (63) and Nitish Rana (45) to lay a solid foundation. Rinku Singh (48* off 21) hit five consecutive sixes in the final over and helped KKR to win the game on the last ball.
#2 Tim Southee - 3/24
The 35th game of the IPL 2022 season witnessed both teams clashing at DY Patil Stadium. Tim Southee dismissed Shubman Gil caught to keeper Sam Billings in the second over to secure a crucial breakthrough for the KKR side.
Then, Southee took an important wicket of Hardik Pandya (67) and went on to dismiss Rashid Khan (0) as well. As a result, the Titans could only compile a total of 156.
In response, KKR could only manage to score 148, and lost the game by eight runs. Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan and Yash Dayal picked two wickets apiece.
#1 Andre Russell - 4/5
The Caribbean all-rounder certainly bowled the finest single over in IPL history, when he finished with figures of 4/5 in IPL 2022. After Tim Southee and other bowlers did well, Russell was introduced into the attack in the final over of the innings.
Russell dismissed Abhinav Manohar (2), Lockie Ferguson (0), Rahul Tewatia (17) and Yash Dayal (0) to restrict GT to 156/9. In the second half, Russell slammed 48 off 25 but was dismissed at the wrong time, as the team fell short by just eight runs.