‘Should Bat Higher’: Former Punjab Kings Coach Slams KKR for Under-Utilising Overseas Star in IPL 2025

Former Punjab Kings head coach Anil Kumble has taken a dig at the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) management for mishandling their batters in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. He opined that they should have promoted Andre Russell in their batting order against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) while chasing a low total of 111 runs.

“I felt the utilisation of Andre Russell hasn’t been really great from a KKR standpoint. I think Russell should bat higher. Just look at the one that they lost to Punjab. I think in the dugout, ideally at that point, you would say, okay, Andre Russell, you go and just finish this game early. If you get on the first ball, it doesn’t matter. We still have batting in hand. But that didn’t happen,” he stated to JioStar.

Kumble on KKR’s crushing defeat against PBKS

The 54-year-old explained how KKR made the Windies hard-hitter play along with the tail-enders in their last two games by sending him late in the innings. Though he has the ability to strike big, the required run rate had already snatched the match from KKR’s grip.

“By the time Russell came, he had to bat with the bowlers. And even in the last game, by the time Russell came, I think the contest was over, 17 and a half, 18 runs an over. It may happen once in 10 games or once in 20 games. It can’t happen every time. So that’s something that I think KKR need to figure out,” stressed Kumble.

Notably, the defending champions KKR got bundled out for just 95 runs after their bowlers restricted PBKS to 111. Coming in at No. 7, Russell managed to hit two sixes and a boundary before getting bowled by Marco Jansen. Moreover, he has scored only 55 runs in eight matches this season at a below-par strike rate of 119.57 so far.

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They will clash again in IPL 2025

These two teams will go head-to-head with each other once again. After a struggling first half of the tournament, KKR find themselves seventh in the IPL 2025 points table. They will need to win at least five out of their remaining six matches to be alive in the qualification race for the playoffs.

On the other hand, PBKS, led by the former title-winning captain of KKR, Shreyas Iyer, is currently placed fifth. They will need to win half of their remaining six matches to secure a place in the IPL 2025 playoffs. The match will take place at the iconic Eden Gardens Stadium tomorrow.

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