Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) chased down a challenging 182-run target against visiting SunRisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens on Sunday to start their 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign on a winning note.
And anchoring the chase was Andre Russell, who smashed an explosive 49 to spoil David Warner's scintillating IPL comeback, and Shubman Gill, who hit the winning runs. A six.
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Needing 53 runs from last three overs, the powerful Jamaican changed the course of the match with his big-hitting against Siddharth Kaul, creaming off 19 runs from that over.
He retained the strike by taking a smart single and continued his assault on Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who too bled 19 runs in the penultimate over as KKR sealed the 182-run chase with two balls to spare.
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Russell hammered four sixes and an equal number of boundaries in run sequence that read 6-6-1-4-1-4-6-4-0-6-1. Youngster Gill (18 not out) completed the formalities with two sixes off Shakib-Al-Hasan.
KKR will host Kings XI Punjab on Wednesday while SRH take on Rajasthan Royals on Friday.
