Twelfth Man: Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders)
The thirty-year-old Jamaican’s prowess as an all-rounder needs no elaborate explication. One of the two players to have been retained by KKR (the other being Sunil Narine), Russell reposed the franchise’s faith in him by putting up a stellar all-round show, which saw him pile up 316 runs @ 28.72 and a strike-rate of 184.79 and take 13 wickets from 16 games, to play a key role in propelling his side to the playoffs.
Russell’s batting embodies the transition that the game of cricket has undergone over the years—from being the graceful game that it once used to be to becoming the power-game that it is today. His potency as a hard-hitter, combined with his canny knack of breaking partnerships and electric athleticism in the field, make him a priceless asset for any side in the world of T20 cricket.
Stats: Batting: Matches 16, Runs 316, Average 28.72, S/R 184.79, HS 88*, one 50.
Bowling: Wickets 13, Average 27.30, Economy 9.38, BBM 3/31.
Most memorable performance: Eleven—the number of sixes that came off Russell’s bat against Chennai Super Kings at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai (the solitary game to be hosted by that venue in IPL-2018) during his whirlwind knock of 88* from 36 balls which helped KKR reach 202/6 in 20 overs. In the end, the hosts got home with only one ball to spare, thanks largely to an elegant Sam Billings fifty.
