Big blow for Kolkata Knight Riders; Andre Russell doubtful for Mumbai Indians clash after limping off the field
The Kolkata Night Riders might have to play without their talismanic all-rounder Andre Russell in their next game against the Mumbai Indians after he limped off the field after bowling only 13 deliveries. Although he returned to bat against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, he seemed to be in visible discomfort and got out after scoring only three runs. He has been dealing with fitness issues in the last few seasons of the IPL and is not even bowling his quota of overs. He bowled for only 2 overs against Hyderabad in yesterday's game before he started feeling pain in his legs. He is a doubtful starter against MI owing to his latest injury.
Russell did not bowl in the three games that KKR played in the 2023 IPL season. The captain of KKR, Nitish Rana, called him to bowl against SRH only. While the all-rounder struck in his first ball, ending up taking two wickets, Russell could only bowl one ball in the penultimate over before Shardul Thakur completed the renaming over.
As the IPL is a big tournament, there are chances that the management of KKR might not take any risks while playing Russell against MI. He is an important part of the team as he can single-handedly turn the game with both bat and ball. The team is hoping for him to regain his fitness before the end of the 2023 IPL season. Although Russell is going to miss the match against MI, KKR has capable replacement options like Jason Roy, Tim Southee, and Litton Das.