An all-round show from Andre Russell helped Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) thrash Sunrisers Hyderabad by 54 runs at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Saturday. With the win, Kolkata kept their playoffs hopes alive.
Chasing a tricky 178-run target, Hyderabad's run-chase was derailed when Kane Williamson again failed with the bat. An in-form Rahul Tripathi too fell cheaply but Abhishek Sharma tried to steer the innings. However, Kolkata bowlers kept on taking wickets at regular intervals. Andre Russell picked 3 as Hyderabad managed to score only 123-8 in 20 overs.
Earlier, Venkatesh Iyer failed again at the top before Nitish Rana unleashed his six-hitting skills in the powerplay. KKR batting faltered again in the middle overs as Umran Malik took crucial wickets.
Then, Sam Billings (34) and Russell (49 not out) shared a 63-run stand to take Kolkata across the 150-run mark after they were 94 for five in the 12th over. The West Indian all-rounder smashed three sixes in the last over to propel Kolkata to 177-6