Andre Russell is not the only one who is struggling at the moment: Dwayne Bravo

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling coach Dwayne Bravo defended the star all-rounder Andre Russell and other batters of the team despite KKR failing to create an impact in the ongoing IPL season. 

Notably, the Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a 39-run defeat to the Gujarat Titans at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday, April 21. With this defeat, KKR slipped down to the seventh rank with three wins and five losses, amassing only six points.

In six innings he has played this season, Andre Russell has scored 55 runs at an average of 9.16. Interestingly, only one KKR batter managed to cross 200 runs this season, which highlights the batting concerns of defending champions.

“Russell is not the only one who is struggling at the moment. IPL is a tough tournament. And when you don’t start well, batsmen go into a period where they lose confidence. And that’s what’s happening at the moment. We just have to keep backing them and hopefully they come good,” Bravo said.

“But, you know, when Russell walks into bat every time, the run rate is at 14-15. So the work needs to be done on top so that we give him a chance to finish off games like he is accustomed to doing over the years for KKR,” Bravo added.

While Ajinkya Rahane is leading the batting charts for KKR with 271 runs from eight innings, Angkrish Raghuvanshi is the second-best batter for the franchise this season, accumulating 197 runs.

Kolkata Knight Riders will next take on the Punjab Kings at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday, April 26. With the 39-run win against KKR, the Gujarat Titans strengthened their top spot on the table with six wins and two losses, picking up 12 points.

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