CRICKET POLL

While power-hittng is Andre Russell's premier expertise, it was his bowling exploits that made a telling impact in Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL 2024 triumph. He bagged 19 wickets in the tournament - his highest in an IPL edition - and the economy rate of 10.06 would be acceptable in the most run-filled edition ever. The strike rate of 9.26 - jaw dropping.

In the 18-year history of the IPL, there have been 232 instances of a bowler bagging 15 or more wickets in an edition; Russell's strike-rate of 9.26 in 2024 stands the best among them. He bowled in each of the 14 completed games he featured in last season. This year, he has been called upon to bowl in just five of the nine games so far, and still has seven wickets from 10.3 overs. Of the 102 bowlers who have sent down at least 10 overs in the IPL since 2024, he has the best strike-rate (9.2, 26 wickets).

And so, it's been a major surprise that he hasn't been handed the ball as often in a campaign that has been hanging by a thread. On Saturday, he was introduced in the 12th over of the innings, and he promptly responded, breaking a 120-run opening stand. His 1/27 in three overs - featuring a dropped chance and an inside edged four - helped the hosts stage a mini comeback of sorts. After having scored 105/2 in the middle-phase at 11.67, Punjab Kings could muster mere 40/2 in the last five overs. In KKR's previous game, Russell dismissed Sai Sudharsan in the only over he bowled, ending a 114-run opening stand.

KKR bossed the middle-overs in 2024, with 49 wickets at 20.93, SR: 15.4 and a staggering dot-ball percentage of 36.9. Six bowlers bagged 10 or more wickets in this phase, Russell was the only seamer with 12 (Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine had 30 scalps between them). While they stand second on bowling averages in the middle-overs this year, with 25 wickets at 27.16, the numbers are rather skewed in terms of results. In wins, they have managed 14 wickets at 12.57 and an economy rate of 6.51. The corresponding numbers in defeats are nine wickets at 44.22, ER: 9.29.

Seamers with most wickets in Overs 7-15 in the IPL since 2024

Russell's 19 wickets in IPL 2024 came across various game-defining spells. He dismissed Abhishek Sharma and Abdul Samad at crucial junctures in KKR's four-run win in their high-scoring opener against SRH. He went even better against RCB, his timely intervention - dismissing well set Rajat Patidar and Will Jacks (and Dinesh Karthik later) - fetching KKR another two points. He returned 2/30 and 2/34 against MI (dismissing Suryakumar Yadav in both), as KKR completed a rare double over the five-time champions, including a first win against them at Wankhede in over a decade. In the final, he returned 3/19, after Mitchell Starc and Vaibhav Arora's game-setting opening burst. Some of his other victims in the season were Cameron Green, KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, Marcus Stoinis, Hardik Pandya, Tim David and Aiden Markram.

On the batting front too, there have been debates over his position. He walked in when KKR needed 105 off 45 (RRR: 14.4) against GT. Against LSG, the lesser experienced Ramandeep Singh and Angkrish Raghuvanshi were sent ahead of him, as the hosts eventually fell four runs short in a 239-run chase.

The game against MI saw just the eighth instance of him walking at No.8 in his IPL career. At the same venue four years ago, albeit against a different team, he brought his side back in a 221-run chase after they had been reduced to 31/5 within the powerplay. KKR had won just two of their first seven games that year, and when they returned for the second leg in the UAE, Russell delivered a game-changing 3/9 with the ball, including a first-ball dismissal of AB de Villiers. That kickstarted a stunning comeback, and even as Russell would be ruled out with hamstring injury later, KKR went on to make it to the final.

KKR needed a spark then, as they do now. Whether Russell, one of the only six players to have won 10 or more T20 tournament finals, is given a decent go, remains to be seen.