KKR Predicted XI against RCB - Kolkata sweat over Andre Russell’s fitness

Andre Russell was hit in left shoulder by a net bowler during a practice session and that puts his place in the playing XI for this blockbuster clash in serious jeopardy.

Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a huge injury scare ahead of their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Eden Gardens on Friday.

Kolkata Knight Riders’ Andre Russell gestures during an IPL match. (AFP)

In-form all-rounder Andre Russell was hit in left shoulder by a net bowler during a practice session and that puts his place in the playing XI for this blockbuster clash in serious jeopardy. However, skipper Dinesh Karthik revealed that Russell is definitely part of their plans for the RCB clash despite injury.

“He’d got a preliminary X-ray done yesterday (Wednesday) and it’s not even been 24 hours… By tomorrow (Friday) we’ll get a better idea as to how he’s feeling. Andre is definitely a part of our plans for tomorrow’s (Friday) game,” Karthik told reporters on the eve of the clash.

If Russell fails to make the cut, Carlos Brathwaite will slot in for his Windies teammate as it will be a like-for-like replacement for the two-time champions. The rest of the KKR line-up is expected to be the same as their last match against Chennai Super Kings.

After starting their campaign on a smooth note, KKR slipped out of number two position and now find themselves at number six after a string of three defeats in a row.

Kolkata predicted XI: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Nitish Rana, Subhman Gill, Dinesh Karthik, Carlos Brathwaite, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Harry Gurney