'If Andre Russell gets out first ball, it doesn't matter': Kumble slams KKR for poor tactics in damning verdict
Former India Test captain Anil Kumble reckons Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have not utilised their resources properly in the IPL 2025 season.
Former India spinner Anil Kumble reckons that the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have not properly utilised all-rounder Andre Russell and the right-hander is coming lower down the order. The Ajinkya Rahane-led team has looked like the pale shadow of the team that won the Indian Premier League (IPL) title last year, and the franchise is languishing in the bottom half of the points table.
KKR have just won three matches out of five, and they must now win at least five of their remaining fixtures to have any chance of making the playoffs. The team will take on Punjab Kings at the Eden Gardens on Friday, a must-win contest for the Kolkata-based franchise.
Andre Russell has failed to get going with the bat, as he has registered scores of 4, 5, 1, 7, 17 and 21. He has aggregated 45 runs in eight matches. With the ball in hand, he returned with six wickets. However, Andre Russell has not been a match-winner for the franchise this season, and it is no surprise that KKR are struggling in the race for playoffs.
Anil Kumble reckons that the management needs to trust Andre Russell more, and he needs to come higher in the batting order to leave an impact in the middle.
"I felt the utilisation of Andre Russell hasn't been really great from a KKR standpoint. I think Russell should bat higher. He should certainly get more opportunities. 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," said Kumble, a JioStar Expert, during a select media interaction.
"But that didn't happen. 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 and 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," he added.
Can KKR take revenge against the Punjab Kings?
The last time KKR played against Punjab Kings, the team failed to chase down 112 as the side was bundled out for 95, losing the contest by 16 runs. Kumble reckons that in the title-winning season last year, KKR got off to solid starts with openers Phil Salt and Sunil Narine. However, this is not the case in the IPL 2025 season, and hence, the middle order needs to step up.
"I felt that they haven't really utilised their resources. If you look at last year's campaign, it was mostly around the starts they used to get with Phil Salt and Sunil Narine. That's not happening this season with their opening batters. And that certainly started putting pressure on their middle order. They have the team, and Rahane is batting really well. At the top of the inning, Venkatesh Iyer hasn't really performed," said Kumble.
But I think KKR has it in them. It's just a matter of maybe the time that they have now. These 4-5 days, I know they had time. After the Punjab loss a couple of days ago, they lost a game which they should have perhaps won against GT. Or at least done better. They have the bowling line-up. They have two world-class spinners in their line-up. And the two fast bowlers, Indian fast bowlers, have been bowling really well. Harshit Rana and Vaibhav," he added.
