KKR vs MI, IPL 2021: 3 best spells by Andre Russell
Andre Russell's fifer against the Mumbai Indians on Tuesday (April 13) was the second five-wicket haul of IPL 2021 and the first for the KKR all-rounder as he helped his side restrict MI to 152.
Much has been spoken about Russell's form of late and the Windies all-rounder silenced his critics with a devastating spell to receive the Purple Cap and gain a narrow lead in the 'most wickets' section.
Russell's form will be crucial to KKR's fortunes if they are to grab the silverware in IPL 2021 and now that he's fired with the ball, the team will hope the magic with the blade is not too far away.
Ahead of KKR's upcoming games, here's a quick look at three of Andre Russell's best spells in the IPL over the years.
1) MI vs KKR: Andre Russell's 5/15 in Chennai (IPL 2021)
Picking up wickets at regular intervals is a feat in T20s and Russell nailed it to perfection with his varying pace to bamboozle the MI batsmen. He practically cleaned out Mumbai's middle and lower order, starting with Kieron Pollard.
He then went on to dismiss Krunal Pandya, Marco Jansen, Rahul Chahar and Jasprit Bumrah as MI were skittled out for 152 on a slow Chennai track, giving KKR a chance to make it two wins in two games.
2) PBKS vs KKR: Andre Russell finishes with 4/20 (IPL 2016)
He might have had an off day with the bat, but Andre Russell's four-wicket haul saw him pick up the wickets of Punjab's most dangerous batsmen as they went about defending 164 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Russell accounted for the wickets of Manan Vohra, David Miller, Marcus Stoinis and Swapnil Sharma as PBKS were regulated to 157-9 in their quota of 20 overs. This was Russell's best spell in the IPL until his fifer against MI today.
3) DC vs KKR: Andre Russell bags 3/26 (IPL 2016)
KKR may have ended up on the losing side, and Andre Russell may have faltered with the bat, but he contributed with the ball with figures of 3/26 from his four overs. DC posted a formidable 186 as Karun Nair (68) and Sam Billings (54) led the charge, with Carlos Brathwaite (34) playing a handy knock in the fag end of the innings.
Russell struck thrice, dismissing Shreyas Iyer, Quinton de Kock and the dangerous-looking Brathwaite to end the onslaught. However, KKR fell short as Brathwaite returned to wreak havoc with the ball, bagging 3/47 while Zaheer Khan finished with 3/21.