The KKR squad marked Andre Russell‘s birthday on Monday evening (April 29) following a thorough triumph against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2024. Led by Shreyas Iyer, KKR defeated DC by seven wickets at Eden Gardens, securing their sixth victory out of nine games this season.
DC opted to bat first after winning the toss and managed to score 153/9 in their allotted 20 overs. Despite a disappointing performance overall, Kuldeep Yadav’s resilient knock of 35* (26) salvaged some pride for the Delhi Capitals. However, their total proved inadequate against KKR’s batting prowess as they chased down the target in just 16.3 overs without much difficulty.
Opening batsman Phil Salt’s explosive half-century (68) set the stage for KKR’s dominant victory. Following his departure, Shreyas Iyer (33*) and Venkatesh Iyer (26*) guided the team home with ease.
Andre Russell, celebrating his birthday, had minimal involvement in the game, bowling just one over in the initial innings and not getting an opportunity to bat during the chase.
The Kolkata team posted a video on their official Instagram account, showcasing the birthday festivities for Russell within the team camp following their convincing win over the Delhi Capitals. KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan was also present, posing for photos with Andre Russell.
“After the powerplay the pitch became tacky”-KKR captain Shreyas Iyer’s post-match statement after beating DC in IPL 2024
During the post-match presentation, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer revealed that initially, they believed 200 was a competitive score. However, the pitch conditions changed after the powerplay in the first innings, favouring their spinners.
Reflecting on the victory, Shreyas stated: “We thought 200 will be a par score but after the powerplay the pitch became tacky and the pitch was helping the spinners. It helped us a lot while chasing. Salt is always engrossed in the game and it’s a pure bliss to watch him.”
Speaking highly of the Player of the Match, Varun Chakravarthy, Shreyas added:
“He (Chakravarthy) wasn’t at his best in the last few games but have come back strongly today. The way he turned up today was simply brilliant. Absolutely we have been thinking right from match one to qualIfy as early as possible as anything can happen at the business end and see we can deliver at crunch situations.”
KKR’s next match in IPL 2024 will be against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday (May 3).
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