Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured a thrilling victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their first match of the IPL 2024 season on Saturday. Despite posting a formidable total of 208/7, KKR faced a tough challenge as Heinrich Klaasen’s aggressive innings threatened their victory. However, Harshit Rana remained composed and took a crucial wicket in the final over to seal the win for KKR.
Andre Russell played a spectacular innings for KKR, rescuing the team from a middle-order collapse. He scored an unbeaten 64 runs off just 25 balls, smashing three fours and seven sixes.
In the previous season, Russell’s performance for KKR was not up to expectations, leading to questions about his retention by the franchise. However, in the season opener, he silenced his critics with an outstanding display against SRH. Despite this, Sunil Gavaskar cautioned against drawing premature conclusions based on one game.
Gavaskar stated, “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. He batted well, and it’s not related to anyone joining KKR. If he doesn’t perform well in the next few matches, will you blame Gautam Gambhir? Let’s be patient.”
Gambhir recently rejoined KKR for the 2024 edition, marking his return to the franchise since 2017. He is the only captain to have led KKR to IPL titles, winning in 2012 and 2014.
Following their victory, KKR will travel to Bengaluru for their next match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 29. The Royal Challengers suffered a defeat in their opening match against Chennai Super Kings on March 22.