IPL 2023 : Andre Russell aiming to stage turnaround and repay the faith shown by KKR Owners!

With three victories in their first seven games of the 2023 Indian Premier League, the Kolkata Knight Riders have had a patchy season. The team has struggled with its batting, and the absence of preferred skipper Shreyas Iyer raised more questions.

The fact that Andre Russell, arguably among KKR’s most destructive batters, is having a difficult time at the plate doesn’t help the team’s cause. Russell has only managed 108 runs overall in 8 games, a dismal average of 18. However, Russell performed bowl all four of his allotted overs in the team’s previous match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, grabbing two wickets and giving up 29 runs.

The Knight Riders will now be hoping that great all-rounder Russell can convert his efforts with the bat as well. Russell’s spell proved essential to KKR’s victory. Russell has nevertheless stayed one of KKR’s most crucial players over the years.

Russell, a member of the team since 2014, gained notoriety for his powerful hitting during the competition; in the 2019 version, Russell finished with 510 runs to his credit with an astounding strike rate of 204.81. However, Russell has experienced knee problems in recent years. In an interview with Star Sports, the West Indian revealed how the Knight Riders assisted him in getting better.

The Jamaican expressed his gratitude towards the franchise for helping him through his tough times like injuries and bad forms and thanked the owners for investing in him.

“Where I was, a few years ago, KKR actually make things happen for me where they send me to get proper treatments on my knees. That’s something special to me to be honest. No other franchise or even my country never really invest that much on me.” Russell said.