IPL 2021: Andre Russell reacts to Shah Rukh Khan's apology to KKR fans

KKR’s Andre Russell after claiming the wicket of MI’s Kieron Pollard at Chennai on Tuesday. Pic/PTI

Kolkata Knight Riders snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against defending champions Mumbai Indians in an IPL-14 encounter at Chennai on Tuesday, but all-rounder Andre Russell insisted that it was not the end of the road. The KKR batsmen choked at the finish line and the team eventually fell short by 10 runs in a low-scoring encounter that saw MI setting a target of 153.

"At the end of the day, it's a game of cricket and you are not sure till it's over. We are still confident. We still played some good cricket and I am proud of the boys. We definitely feel disappointed but it's not the end of the road. It's only the second game and we are going to learn from it," Russell said at the post-match virtual press conference on Tuesday night.

The West Indian pacer bowled extremely well, taking 5-15 in his two overs, but in the batting department, except for openers Nitish Rana (57 in 47 balls) and Shubman Gill (33 in 24), no one else managed to get into double digits.

SRK apologises to fans

Team owner Shah Rukh Khan expressed his disappointment on social media. "Disappointing performance to say the least. @KKRiders apologises to all the fans," wrote the Bollywood superstar to his 41.8 million Twitter followers.

And Russell couldn't agree more. "I support that tweet," he said.

Russell, 32, who has scored 1,531 runs and taken 67 wickets in 76 IPL games in addition to 26 dismissals and 540 runs in 49 T20Is for West Indies, is hopeful that the team does not repeat its mistakes going forward. "I've played hundreds of T20 games and I've seen games where teams are cruising in the driver's seat and then suddenly lose a few wickets. Then, new batsmen come in and struggle to get the ball away. That's what happened tonight [Tuesday]. We have to learn from this," said Russell, who managed to score just nine runs off 15 balls against MI.

Impressive Chahar

Earlier, MI skipper Rohit Sharma (32-ball 43) and Suryakumar Yadav (36-ball 56) were the chief contributors before the side were bowled out for 152. In reply, KKR openers Rana and Gill began well, but after their departure, the runs dried up. MI leggie Rahul Chahar took an impressive 4-27 and was ably assisted by pacer Trent Boult (2-27) and spinner Krunal Pandya (1-13). Krunal, Boult and pacer Jasprit Bumrah gave away just 20 runs in the last five overs to ensure KKR finished on 142-7.