IPL 2016: Andre Russell says Kolkata Knight Riders bowled like champions

Russell’s four-wicket haul helped KKR pull off a win over KXIP

Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Andre Russell said that they bowled like champions after their seven-run victory over Kings XI Punjab on Wednesday at the Eden Gardens.

Russell's four-wicket haul helped KKR pull off a victory over KXIP, and he also earned his Man of the Match award for his brilliant bowling figures of 4 for 24. The Caribbean star sent top-order batsmen Manan Vohra and Marcus Stoinis back for a duck. 

 "The last game against RCB, me and Yusuf did well. But this match was important too and we bowled like champions. Our batters have been doing the job most of the time and we had been letting them down earlier.

"But we proved ourselves tonight. We were trying to get 180 but their bowlers bowled yorkers very well. But we knew 160 was defendable on this ground. We had to bowl to our field, build pressure and take wickets," he said.

However, taking the positives from the loss, KXIP captain Murali Vijay said that he was satisfied with his team's bowling display. "We didn't start well and for Maxi to put on a knock like that was unbelievable. Axar got run out at the wrong time but lot of positives for us to take," he said.

"Our bowlers were up to the mark and Sandeep has been excellent but we needed a strong start with the bat. The momentum is with us, from Rajkot, and we're looking to take that forward."

Hashim Amla, who has been roped in as the replacement for the injured Shaun Marsh, was given time to rest, said the right-handed opener. "Hashim Amla came this morning and we wanted to give him some break before including him in the future." Vijay was made the captain after David Miller was axed for his poor run this season.

Despite winning, KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir said that his team was 10 runs short on the slow wicket, but was still happy that they performed well. 

"We were not used to this kind of a wicket but I think did well and were pretty professional after that game in RCB. I think we were about 10 runs short.

"After playing at Wankhede and Bangalore, this was a touch slower. But we got to get used to it. Russell and Morkel getting wickets upfront was crucial. Our middle order has been in decent form. We can't be complacent, like what happened last year when we couldn't qualify for the playoffs," he added.

KKR openers Gambhir (54 off 45) and Robin Uthappa (70 off 49) made yet another blistering performance, and put up a 101-run partnership. KKR have six wins from nine matches and have also risen to the number one spot on the points table.