IPL 2019: Sunrisers hit by late blows as Andre Russell flexes muscle

KKR's Andre Russell slams one during his 19-ball 49

David Warner marked his return to the IPL by flaunting ominous form but it was all about Andre Russell in the end as the Kolkata Knight Riders snatched a dramatic victory from the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.

Chasing a challenging 182, the Knights seemed down and out till the burly West Indian decided to add the final twist to the tale with a stunning 19-ball 49 that helped the hosts over the line with six wickets and only a couple of balls to spare. Russell hit four boundaries and four sixes.

Earlier, Warner, coming back from a one-year ban, had hammered a 53-ball 85 that had nine boundaries and three sixes as the visitors, who had beaten the Knights twice at the Eden last season, put up a challenging total.

SRH opener David Warner sweeps during his 53-ball 85 against KKR at the Eden Gardens yesterday. Pics/PTI

Warner settle down and then sent the ball to all parts of the park - smashing his way through the infield, hoisting sixes or announcing his return with a cute reverse-sweep. He and one-drop batsman Johny Bairstow (39 runs) made the most of an untidy start by the KKR bowlers as the Aussie-English partnership yielded 118 off just 78 balls for the opening wicket. Vijay Shankar then chipped in with a 40 not out.

In reply, former Mumbai Indians player Nitish Rana hit a belligerent 68 off 47 for the Knights but his wicket immediately after a 15-minute break forced by power failure in a floodlight tower seemed to have shut the doors on them. That was before Russell turned the heat on, and new man Shubman Gill proved the perfect foil. Fifty-fours runs came off just 16 balls as Siddharth Kaul and the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shakib al-Hasan failed to find an answer. It came down to 13 from the final over, and Russell enjoyed watching young Gill hoist Shakib for two sixes as KKR clinched the match.

KKR seemed to have taken the early loss of Chris Lynn in their strides when Rana and Robin Uthappa got going, adding 80 runs off 58 for the second wicket, but the mounting asking rate soon had desperation creeping in. It first claimed Uthappa. Things got worst when Rana was trapped in front by Rashid Khan first ball after the forced break, ending his 47-ball innings studded with eight fours and three sixes. All seemed lost for KKR but Russell had other plans.

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