'10 matches have gone…': Nitish Rana reacts to Russell's return to form, expresses anger at bowlers after KKR win

With just 166 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of just 150, It would be an understatement to say that Andre Russell was due in IPL 2023. The Kolkata Knight Riders captain Nitish Rana and the management headed by Chandrakant Pandit backed Russell and finally, after 10 games this year, it paid off. The Russell of old was back. He smashed 42 off 23 balls to help KKR chase down 180 against the Punjab Kings and stay alive in the race to the playoffs.

After getting off to a decent start courtesy of Rahmanullah Gurbaz (15) and Jason Roy (38) followed by a 51-run knock by captain Nitish Rana, KKR lost momentum when Rana and Venkatesh Iyer were dismissed in quick succession. The fact that the required rate touched 12 in the last five overs on a not-so-batting-friendly pitch made matters complicated for KKR. But Russell put his hand up.

He hit three sixes off Sam Curran in the 19th over when the equation was 26 from 12 balls to completely swing the match in KKR's favour. All three of his sixes against Curran came from traditional cricketing shots. The first two were flicked off his pads and the final one was cut over point.

Russell's lusty hitting brought the equation down to 6 off 6 in the last over and although Arshdeep Singh bowled a brilliant last over and Russell was run-out in the penultimate ball of the match, KKR got home in the last ball thanks to a boundary by Rinku Singh.

"I flick one surprisingly in the stands tonight. I didn't really swing at it but I was happy that it went for six because we really needed a boundary at that time. To get those two sixes and really get us momentum going into the other over and cutting another ball for six over point really put the icing on the cake," Russell said after KKR's five-wicket win.

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After the match, KKR captain Rana, who was KKR's top-scorer on Monday, said he knew Russell would come good and win a match for KKR.

"Ten matches have gone, we were all waiting for that one Russell innings to come. He was just one innings away, I kept backing him saying ‘you have done a lot, and you will 100 per cent win us a game’. Even today morning when he was bowling (in the practice) I told him that you are just one good match away and he has done it today," said Nitish Rana in the post-match presentation.

Rana also conceded he was angry with his bowlers conceding runs in the last couple of overs to let PBKS score a competitive 179/7.

"This pitch gave us a feeling of home advantage. Our bowlers bowled badly at the death, I was angry that we conceded that many because this was a 160-165 run wicket," he said.