Russell equals Pollard’s tally after hitting 7 sixes, Gayle and De Villiers occupy the top two positions
Andre Russell was in some mood against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League 2024. Coming out to bat in the lower order with KKR in trouble, he didn’t put one step wrong, hitting seven sixes against SRH.
He upped the ante against the spinners and pacers on his way to an unbeaten 64 runs off 25 balls. The veteran all-rounder also struck three fours to propel KKR to 208/7 in 20 overs.
The West Indies star added 80 runs with Rinku Singh, who kept one end intact to allow Russell to unleash big hits at the Eden Gardens.
Rinku contributed 23 runs off 15 balls, with the help of 3 fours. Meanwhile, Russell has hit five or more sixes 13 times in his IPL career and equaled the tally of his former teammate Kieron Pollard. Chris Gayle leads the list with five or more sixes in 29 matches.
Former RCB player AB de Villiers has achieved this remarkable feat 19 times during his active days in the tournament.
KL Rahul, Shane Watson, Jos Buttler, Rohit Sharma, David Warner, and Sanju Samson have their presence on the list.
Most times hitting five or 5+ Sixes in an IPL Innings
29 – Chris Gayle
19 – AB de Villiers
13 – Keiron Pollard
13 – Andre Russell*
12 – KL Rahul
11 – Shane Watson
11 – Jos Buttler
10 – Rohit Sharma
10 – David Warner
10 – Sanju Samson
There was a big question mark on Russell’s finishing abilities, having failed in the previous seasons. The bowlers found a way to contain him. He was not given any width to free his arms, and the balls were kept close to his back foot, which restricted his moment in the crease.
However, he didn’t allow this to happen in the first game of the 17th season and produced a breathtaking display of brutal hitting.
If Russell stays fit and in form, KKR can play in the playoffs after a gap of two years.
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