Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir heaped rich praise on skipper Shreyas Iyer for using Andre Russell with the ball in the Indian Premier League (IP) 2024. He stated that the way the captain handed responsibility to the all-rounder was remarkable.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 saw the emergence of Andre Russell as the bowler in the league. More than the batting, the all-rounder oozed his class with the ball and played an instrumental role in helping the Kolkata Knight Riders win their third title in the league.
Andre Russell, who is known as the batting powerhouse, contributed with the ball more than the bat in IPL 2024. What was even more impressive was that he stood tall on the expectations of Shreyas Iyer, who utilised him sensationally well as the bowler.
Despite having some world-class bowlers in the team, skipper Shreyas Iyer trusted Andre Russell and used him at the crucial stages of the game. The all-rounder chipped in with wickets and helped his team get into the dominating positions at the important phases.
Gautam Gambhir was in awe of the way Andre Russell delivered with the ball in IPL 2024. He stated that the all-rounder deserves all the credit because being the 6th bowler, he picked up around 20 wickets. Speaking to SportsKeeda, he stated:
“Absolutely, how many teams are there who have 6th bowlers who have taken 19 wickets? If your 6th bowler takes around 17-18 wickets that is too crucial then the team is always in a good position. Therefore the all-rounder deserves all the credit. And the way Shreyas Iyer used him, he also deserves all the credit.”
Andre Russell played an important role with the ball for the team. He picked 19 wickets and made valuable contributions with the bat. The all-rounder scored 222 runs in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ title-winning campaign in IPL 2024.
I reunited with Narine and Russell after six years – Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir further opened up about Sunil Narine lifting him after the IPL 2024 win. He said that he reunited with Narine and Andre Russell after a long time and that’s why emotions came out. He added:
“I have not lifted a lot of players before, and neither have players lifted me before, but there were a lot of emotions after the win. I reunited with Narine and Russell after six years, and that is a long period of time, and I know them very well so the emotions came out after winning, and this is why you play cricket.”
Sunil Narine was the key architect behind KKR winning the IPL 2024. He scored 488 runs at a strike rate of 180.74 and took 17 wickets at an economy of 6.69. Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final of the IPL 2024 to win their 3rd title in the history of the league.