What Might Happen To Andre Russell Now In The IPL?

IPL’s superstar- according to hundreds of thousands of fans- and West Indies part-timer- if one can call him that with all due respect- Andre Russell ‘might’ not be able to go a long way further in the ongoing IPL. The reason being, Kolkata Knight Rider’s all-rounder injured himself whilst playing against the Kings Eleven Punjab on Saturday.

That being said, Andre Russell, true to his exceptional fielding skills, was trying to stop a boundary, in the process of which, the 32-year-old made a sliding dive to stop the ball from reaching the boundary.

The end result being a serious injury which now puts his availability on an immediate basis very difficult for his famous franchise, the Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knights Riders.

But whether Kolkata Knight Riders proceed to the deciding stages or not, it ought to be said that the famous six-hitting batsman’s absence could well play a crucial part in the fortunes of his team, a team that only a few hours back registered a thrilling two-run win over KL Rahul-led Kings’ Eleven Punjab.

That being said, Andre Russell’s injury is surely going to affect the mood of countless fans who have, by virtue of the batting all-rounder’s prowess, become habitual of seeing games being turned by the scruff of their neck.

Someone when he walks onto the crease, the point of contention becomes the strike rate and the number of sixes hit, regardless of the format (actually speaking, check the numbers when you find time), not batting average or half-centuries earned in the game.

He might not boast of amazing all round numbers, such as a Shane Watson. But when it comes to the shortest format of the game, which might be called Andre Russell’s staple, then the Jamaican batsman becomes a six-hitting beast and a nadir of bowlers that one would feel makes the art of bowling very tough.

So while his captain did not reveal the extent of the injury of his star all-rounder, he did mention the following, highlighting the importance the man responsible for collecting 1455 runs at a strike rate of 183.9 brings to the KKR stable:

“Whenever Russell gets injured, you know it is hard. He is a very special player, he is a very special person. We need to go and look at him.”

However, the recent times, Andre Russell’s string of injuries, have also become usual cricketing adjectives, apart from things like the distance the ball travels when it meets the meat of his bat.

Wondering how is that? In the 2019 Men’s ODI World Cup, the man with 99 sixes in international cricket (excluding Tests and franchise T20 games) found himself on the sidelines. In a tournament where the West Indies would have liked the so-called match-winning all-rounder come to full force, having played little international cricket in the two years before entering the mother of all sporting battles, Russell spent more time benchwarming than serving his West Indies in the middle thanks to yet another injury.

Moreover, his turnouts with the bat, his choice of weapon, were disappointing to say the least, with a string of low scores in games like Australia and England, managing 36 runs (in all) from 3 appearances.

Not too starry after all for a man with whom the legend of big hitter and fast scorer is associated, right?

Also Read: Sunil Narine Needs To Get A Grip On Himself And Must Self-Introspect!

That said, we wish the flamboyant hitter of the white ball the very best of recovery and hope to see him soon in the middle of the IPL.