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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Andre Russell endured another forgettable outing with the bat against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Wednesday, April 26.
The West Indian came in at the fall of skipper Nitish Rana's wicket in the 18th over and was cleaned up by a sensational yorker from Mohammed Siraj for just a single run of two deliveries.
Despite Russell's failure, KKR posted a mammoth total of 200-5 in their 20 overs on the back of impressive knocks by opener Jason Roy (56 off 29) and skipper Nitish Rana (48 off 21).
Andre Russell has been in horrific form with the bat this season, averaging just 21.40 at a strike rate of 140.79, a massive decline from his overall career strike rate of 175.57. The lower-order finisher is yet to play a single knock of significance this season, with his highest score being just 38 and a total of one run in two innings against RCB.
Russell has also bowled just five overs so far in seven matches due to fitness concerns and has conceded runs at an abysmal economy rate of 13.16 runs per over.
Fans took to Twitter to express their displeasure at Russell's performances and KKR's reluctance to drop the Jamaican all-rounder.
Here are some of the reactions:
The Kolkata Knight Riders have had a forgettable season thus far, losing five out of their seven matches.
They started the season with sensational wins in two of their first three games against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT) but have since lost four consecutive games to find themselves eighth in the points table.
"Where is Andre Russell currently?" - Akash Chopra on KKR all-rounder's recent form
Former Indian opener Akash Chopra has raised concerns over the form of West Indian superstars Andre Russell and Sunil Narine in the ongoing IPL season.
The duo have struggled for form recently with both ball and bat, resulting in KKR languishing in the bottom third of the points table.
Speaking on his YouTube channel ahead of the KKR-RCB game, Chopra said:
"Andre Russell has contributed when these two teams have played matches historically. He has picked up a lot of wickets, he has also scored a lot of runs. He has given those match-winning performances but where is Andre Russell currently? Have you seen him anywhere?"
Chopra continued:
"Both West Indians (Sunil Narine and Russell) were not there in the last match. They are huge names but the performances have been absolutely pale. Will they turn up is the question."
Andre Russell is averaging just 21.40 at a strike rate of 140.79, while Sunil Narine has picked up just six wickets at an expensive rate of 8.68 runs an over.
KKR will need Russell and Narine to fire in unison consistently for the rest of the season to entertain any hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.
