KKR vs PBKS, IPL 2022: Battle of the Gladiators as Andre Russell squares up against Kagiso Rabada
India Today
IPL 2022, Kolkata vs Punjab: Marauding KKR batter Andre Russell will face off against Punjab Kings quick Kagiso Rabada in what should be a thrilling battle. For cricket lovers, the attrition and speed of this duel will be too thrilling to miss out.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are set to take on the impressive Punjab Kings in the eighth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Shreyas Iyer-led KKR will be desperate to get back to winning ways after they suffered a three-wicket loss to the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Meanwhile, Mayank Agarwal's Punjab Kings will be upbeat after a morale-boosting five-wicket win over RCB in their season-opener last weekend.
But all eyes will be on big West Indies all-rounder Andre Russel and the pace bowler Kagiso Rabada who is set to return after returning from international duty. The Rabada vs Russell contest will be one of the major highlights of tonight's game. In-form Andre Russell's big-hitting prowess will be pitted against star pacer Kagiso Rabada's yorkers when KKR will face Punjab Kings.
The two players have crossed paths in four innings in the past, with Russel smashing 60 runs in a mere 27 deliveries while being dismissed just once.
Rabada's return should help with the death bowling and must also uplift the bowling unit, giving an advantage to Punjab Kings. He is the highest wicket-taker in the death overs since IPL 2019 with 45 wickets in 63.4 overs.
Russel's fitness remains a worry for Shreyas Iyer and his team and a quick turnaround time will be a concern. In the previous match with RCB, the KKR batter was seen struggling with his leg before bowling the last over and his attempts to change the game with his big hits were spoiled by Harshal Patel.
A dive into the past reveals that two players have had fiery face-offs in 2019 and 2020, which makes Friday night's battle even more interesting.
Rabada's knockout blow - an inch-perfect yorker to dismiss Russell in Super Over in the clash between Delhi Capitals and KKR still remains fresh. Russell had struck a boundary off the first ball from Rabada in the Super Over but two balls later, he was totally beaten by a perfect yorker from him which was aimed at the middle stump at 147kmph. Russell missed and Rabada hit as the ball uprooted the middle stump, bagging him praise from the then DC mentor Sourav Ganguly. This was also DC's first super over win in that season.
