Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor David Hussey on Thursday (October 7) said that star all-rounder Andre Russell is pushing hard to get back into action and is likely to be available for the play-offs in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) in the UAE.
Hussey hinted that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) could have selection headaches ahead of their clash against the third-place team of the league phase in the Qualifier 1 of the ongoing IPL 2021 on Sunday, October 10, as Russell is close to being match-ready for the match.
The swashbuckling West Indies all-rounder was out of action in the last couple of matches in the ongoing IPL due to a hamstring injury that he sustained during KKR’s match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Russell had a fitness test on Wednesday and he is likely to be ready for Qualifier 1.
Notably, KKR have virtually booked a play-offs berth in the IPL 14 after their 86-run win over Rajasthan (RR) Royals in Sharjah to gain 2 more points to take their tally to 14 and 4th spot on the table.
Read Also: IPL 2021: “He's working incredibly hard, fingers crossed”, Morgan on Russell's injury
Hussey said at the post-match press conference: “He (Russell) had a fitness test on Wednesday, and I think he's just maybe a game away. So, I think he'd be pushing hard over the next few days to get back in for the final (play-offs). (His availability) will be a huge boost not only for us but the competition. He's world-class and he provides lots of entertainment.”
On KKR’s big win over RR, the chief mentor said: “With the ball, pretty simple plans, bowled directly as fast as they can and at the stumps and we have got some world-class spinners as well, and we back up each other in the field, so it was pretty much a team performance tonight.”
He signed off by saying that KKR will watch the final league game between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday (October 8) as a group, but are looking forward to their play-offs game (Qualifier 1) most probably against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
RCB will take on the table-toppers Delhi Capitals (DC) in their final league game on Friday.
(With PTI Inputs)
