West Indian attacking all-rounder Andre Russell has been among the match-winners for Kolkata Knight Riders with his masterful batting and bowling performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the past few seasons.
His legacy in the IPL is well known to all, given his power-hitting and in fact, the West Indian power-hitter was KKR's highest run-scorer with 510 runs (52 sixes – highest in IPL 2019) in the 12th edition of the IPL. He also claimed 11 wickets last year.
Having proved his credential in a crucial situation, the Jamaican hard-hitter – who is arguably one of the most powerful batsmen among modern T20 cricketers, has now become a very significant part of the KKR camp in the Indian T20 league.
However, KKR pacer Prasidh Krishna admitted that Russell is a “superstar” but said the franchise isn’t totally dependent on the all-rounder, saying no team can be a one-man team and he won't be bearing the burden of the team on his shoulders.
According to The Times of India, Krishna stated: “Russell is one of the biggest stars in the team. For anybody to say that a team is dependent on one person, it will be an injustice to others in the team. He has bailed us out on many occasions. He is our superstar and there is no doubt about it.”
On KKR captain Dinesh Karthik, Krishna said: “The best thing in DK is that he trusts players. That's the biggest thing which makes him a good skipper. He will give you freedom in the field. He will ensure your role is well taken care of. He is an amazing captain.”
Noteworthy, the 2-time IPL Champions (2012 and 2014) KKR didn't have a great run in the tournament since the past few seasons, but would be hoping to turn things into their favor in the upcoming IPL 2020 next month in the UAE after a great auction last year.
