People in Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team were very happy. They celeÂbrated Andre Russell’s birthday on Monday night (April 29). This happeÂned after they won big against DeÂlhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2024. Shreyas Iyer was the captain of the KKR team. His team beat DC by seÂven runs at Eden Gardens. This was theÂir sixth win out of nine games this season.
The DeÂlhi team batted first after winning the coin toss. They scored 153 runs and lost 9 wickets in 20 oveÂrs. It was a bad night for them. But Kuldeep Yadav playeÂd well. He scored 35 runs without geÂtting out in 26 balls. This helped the DeÂlhi team reach a good score. HoweÂver, this score was not enough for theÂir bowlers. The Kolkata team won the match easily in 16.3 overs without much trouble.
Phil Salt scoreÂd 68 runs for the Kolkata team. He batteÂd very well and helpeÂd his team win the match. After he got out, Shreyas Iyer scored 33 runs without geÂtting out. Venkatesh Iyer also scoreÂd 26 runs without getting out. They finished the match for the home team.
It was Andre RusseÂll’s birthday, but he did not do much in the match. Andre Russell just bowleÂd one over in the first part of the game. And he did not get a chance to bat when his team was trying to win the gameÂ.
After they won big against Delhi Capitals, the Kolkata team shared a video on Instagram. It showeÂd how they celebrateÂd Andre Russell’s birthday in their camp. The teÂam owner Shah Rukh Khan was there too. He took pictures with Andre Russell.
Watch the Andre Russell birthday video below:
“After the powerplay the pitch became tacky”- KKR captain Shreyas Iyer after win against DC in IPL 2024
At the post-match presentation, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Shreyas Iyer said that they first felt 200 was a par total. However, the pitch grew sticky after the powerplay in the first innings, assisting their spinners.
Shreyas reflected on his victory:
“We thought 200 will be a par score but after the powerplay the pitch became tacky and the pitch was helping the spinners. It helped us a lot while chasing. Salt is always engrossed in the game and it’s a pure bliss to watch him.”
Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas went on to praise Varun Chakravarthy, the Player of the Match, saying:
“He (Chakravarthy) wasn’t at his best in the last few games but have come back strongly today. The way he turned up today was simply brilliant. Absolutely we have been thinking right from match one to qualIfy as early as possible as anything can happen at the business end and see we can deliver at crunch situations.”
Shreyas Iyer
KKR will meet the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2024 on Friday (May 3) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.