Kolkata Knight Riders’ star all-rounder Andre Russell expressed heartfelt gratitude to his teammates after they handed him the perfect birthday gift – a thrilling . The victory not only kept KKR’s playoff hopes alive but also saw Russell play a crucial role in closing out the match.
Speaking after the game, Russell thanked the IPL for scheduling a fixture on his birthday and revealed he had already requested his teammates to make it a memorable one with a win. That wish was fulfilled, thanks to a blend of explosive batting, smart captaincy, and composed bowling.
“We had a chat in the team meeting before this game, and the guys wanted a win on my birthday. No other gift would have mattered,” Russell said.
“This is one of the most amazing leagues in cricket, the IPL. To schedule a match on my birthday, I should say thank you to them. It was a total team effort,” he added.
DC vs KKR: As it happened
KKR set the tone early with a blazing powerplay, racing to 79 runs through the aggressive efforts of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sunil Narine, and skipper Ajinkya Rahane. Although Venkatesh Iyer’s lean patch continued with another single-digit score, middle-order contributions from Rinku Singh (36 off 25) and youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi (44 off 32) helped lift the side to a competitive 205.
With Rahane forced off the field due to injury, Sunil Narine took over captaincy and made a series of match-defining decisions. His impact with the ball was just as significant – removing Axar Patel and Tristan Stubbs in the 14th over to break DC’s momentum, and then dismissing Faf du Plessis (62) in the 16th to further tighten KKR’s grip.
As the chase reached a critical stage, Narine backed Varun Chakravarthy for the high-pressure 17th over – despite the spinner having gone wicketless until then. The move proved inspired, as Chakravarthy gave away only eight runs and claimed the vital wickets of Ashutosh Sharma and Mitchell Starc in quick succession.
With 24 runs to defend in the final over, Russell stepped up to take charge. The birthday boy delivered under pressure, calmly finishing off the job to seal a win that kept Kolkata’s campaign alive and made the day even more special.