Shah Rukh Khan interrupted Andre Russell’s speech only to give the KKR star a hug.©
Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan was in awe of star all-rounder Andre Russell after his match-winning cameo against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their IPL 2024 match on Saturday. Russell hit an unbeaten 64 off just 25 balls with the help of seven huge sixes and three boundaries. He also picked up two wickets and conceded just 25 runs during his spell, helping KKR beat SRH by 4 runs at the Eden Gardens. He was named ‘Man of the Match’ for his performances.
Shah Rukh Khan was present at the match and witnessed Russell’s massacre from the stands. During the post-match presentation ceremony, the bollywood star interrupted Russell’s speech only to give the KKR veteran a hug. Russell acknowledged Shah Rukh Khan’s gesture and then smiled with him.
On Saturday, Russell became the fastest player to hit 200 sixes in the IPL, surpassing compatriot Chris Gayle.
Besides Russell and Gayle, Rohit Sharma (257), AB De Villiers (251), MS Dhoni (239), Virat Kohli (235), David Warner (228), Kieran Pollard (223) and Suresh Raina (203) have 200 or hit more sixes in the IPL.
Coming back to the match, Russell steered Kolkata to 208-7 with his unbeaten 25-ball 64 and an 81-run stand with Rinku Singh.
SRH started strongly as Mayank Agarwal (32) and Abhishek Sharma (32) put on 60 for the opening wicket before Harshit broke through to send Agarwal back.
Starc created an early chance but wicketkeeper Salt spilled a catch to extend Sharma’s stay, which was eventually cut short by Russell’s pace bowling.
Kolkata unleashed their spin power and a wicket each off Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine further dented Hyderabad’s chase until Klaasen decided to unleash his power in a 58-ball stand off 16 ball with Ahmed.
Klaasen and Ahmed cleared Starc in a 26-run 19th over, after which Harshit Rana became an unlikely hero.
(With AFP inputs)
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