Venkatesh Iyer silenced his critics with a match-winning 60 off 29 balls, propelling Kolkata Knight Riders to a convincing 80-run win against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Shardul Thakur bowled 8 full tosses, conceded 9 runs and took 2 wickets. It's early days and Thakur's season has seen him enjoy mixed fortunes, His figures of 2 for 52 were lucky breakthroughs but he is a great wicket-taking option.
Bee Gees' 'Stayin' Alive, Stayin' Alive' could've been the soundtrack of the night - because Sunil Narine made sure Kolkata Knight Riders were doing just that.
The 30-year-old Jamaican all-rounder, who has now hit a remarkable 207 runs off 77 balls with 22 sixes in four matches, came out to bat with his side needing 68 runs from 26 balls and proceeded to flay the bowling around the Chinnaswamy.
Russell, a two-time Twenty20 World Cup winner, was revealed to have committed the violation a year ago after registering three filing failures in 2015. That constituted a failed drugs test under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.
His four-wicket haul guided Kolkata Knight Riders to a seven-run win over Kings XI Punjab and West Indies all-rounder Andre Russel said they bowled like champions in their Indian Premier League match in Kolkata.
Was Avesh Khan's catch the best of the night?
The common theme in their opening game defeats was how the seemingly powerful batting and bowling units of KKR and RR failed to fire.
The common theme in those defeats was how the seemingly powerful batting and bowling units of KKR and RR failed to fire.
Pooran is only behind his West Indian counterparts Chris Gayle to achieved the landmark in just 50 innings and Andre Russell who took 72 innings to smash 150 maximums.
Although India's Rohit Sharma was adjudged Man of the Series in the recently-concluded West Indies-India ODI series, Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji conclude that based on the most valuable player index (MVPI) indicate that West Indian Andre Russell would have been a better choice.
IMAGES from the IPL match played between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday
'This squad has shown it can go on a run. But it's going to take a lot of determination and belief to do that.'
Kolkata Knight Riders have named left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya as a replacement for speedster Umran Malik ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.
Pace bowling all-rounders always come at a premium and therefore, the troika of Green, Venkatesh Iyer and West Indies' Jason Holder, all coming at the highest base price of Rs 2 crore (US$220,000), are set to headline the bidding war.
All-rounder Andre Russell hit a whirlwind 13-ball 42 not out, including three sixes from a Sohail Khan over, before taking three wickets with the ball to help West Indies demolish Pakistan by a huge margin of 150 runs.
It was the biggest knock of his young international career but far from celebrating, West Indies pacer Andre Russell was a disappointed man as his hurricane 92 failed to fetch his side a win in the third one-dayer against India in Antigua.
Chris Gayle and Andre Russell are both expected to be fit for the showdown with Australia after nursing injuries in West Indies victory over Pakistan. Gayle scored a trademark fifty off just 33 balls as the Windies secured a seven-wicket win in their ICC Men's Cricket World Cup opener at Trent Bridge.
For KKR, the biggest cause of concern will be the availability of big-hitter Andre Russell, who hurt his knee when he dived into the advertisement boards after missing a catch on Saturday.
A batsman of Russell's calibre may just prove to be the difference between the two sides.
The unexpected 10-day break has left both the RCB and the KKR with different goals to achieve and common challenges to hurdle over.
Images from Friday's IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Kolkata.
With new rivalries, fresh team colours, and familiar faces reunited, this isn't just the start of a new season-it's a blockbuster waiting to unfold.
Kolkata Knight Riders swashbuckling batter Rinku Singh feels the Indian Premier League has now reached a stage where a team breaching the magical 300-run barrier in an innings won't be a surprise.
Rinku made a valuable 19 runs in six balls, that powered KKR to post 200+, he saved certain boundaries while fielding, which eventually won KKR the match.
Rohit Sharma's poor run in IPL 2025 has become a major talking point among fans and experts.
Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya praised the team's scouting team for discovering left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar, who starred in the team's eight-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Kumar took four wickets on debut, becoming the first Indian to achieve this feat in the IPL, and played a crucial role in restricting KKR to 116 runs.
IMAGES from the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday
Stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma can extend their careers till the 2027 ODI World Cup if the two Indian superstars continue their age-defying batting efforts, feels New Zealand pace great Tim Southee.
"No ground is big enough for me," declared Andre Russell after yet another unbelievable display of power hitting in the Indian Premier League. The Jamaican smashed an unbeaten 48 off 13 balls as Kolkata Knight Riders plundered 66 runs in four overs to script a memorable victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Bengaluru, on Friday night.
Russell had opted out of the three-match T20I series against India due to an injury, but he turned up for Vancouver Knights to play in the T20 tournament in Canada.
The West Indian batter boasts an incredible strike of 178, scoring 1,700 runs in 84 IPL matches, while taking 72 wickets.
Kolkata Knight Riders outclassed Mumbai Indians by 24 runs in the IPL 2024 match on Friday.
KKR, CSK to engage in bidding war in IPL mini-auction with big purse in hand
Reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders will hope that their strife-ridden batting unit will tighten its act against in-form table-toppers Gujarat Titans in the IPL match in Kolkata on Monday.
Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Rinku Singh believes no one can match the big-hitting prowess of the explosive Andre Russell, whom he termed as the 'world's best all-rounder'.
He also highlighted the team's focus on playing good cricket and improving in areas like fielding.
For KKR, IPL 2025 is slipping away rapidly. They need more than just a few tactical tweaks - they need clarity of leadership and bold but sensible changes in their playing XI.
Narine stars as KKR keep playoff hopes alive with 14-run win over DC
Having got off to a start so typical of themselves in the Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians will hope for a quick turnaround when they take on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai on Monday.
