Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore hailed all-rounder Andre Russell's abilities with both bat and ball as he called him the Michael Jordan of T20 cricket. The Caribbean all-rounder has been a mainstay in KKR franchise in the past few years and turned into the MVP for them. The franchise has always backed Russell, even when he was banned for a doping violation in 2017, KKR retained him for a hefty amount.
The 2019 IPL was the best for Russell as he was at his destructive best throughout that season. Russell slammed 510 runs in 14 matches at an astonishing strike rate of 204.81. He was also adjourned as the Most Valuable Player of 2019 IPL. (Also Read | Andre Russell reveals farewell wish at KKR)
“We’ve been fortunate that Andre Russell has been the No. 1 T20 player in the world. You can say he’s a batsman, bowler, all-rounder but he’s just the No. 1 T20 player in the world. He’s the Michael Jordan of T20 cricket. There’s no question about it,” Mysore told SportsKeeda in an interview.
Venky is impressed with KKR's squad for the upcoming season of IPL, which is expected to start from September 19 in UAE. The KKR CEO heaped praise on Sunil Narine and said he grabbed the opportunities at KKR with both hands. (Also Read | Karthik opens up on Russell's criticism of KKR in IPL 2019)
“A lot of people don’t realise that Sunil Narine has been an outstanding all-rounder. Everyone knows how good he is as a bowler, but he’s transformed himself into an all-rounder. That’s because of the opportunities he has got at KKR and he has grabbed them with both hands,” he added.
Apart from Russell and Narine, Venky also claims they are fortunate to have Pat Cummins and Nitish Rana, who can also play the role of all-rounder for them. Cummins was the most expensive player of 2020 IPL auction with a hefty amount of Rs 15.5 crore
“It’s incredible the role he plays - opening the batting, bowling at various stages whenever the captain wants him to. That makes it two really strong all-rounders. We are also very fortunate to have people like Pat Cummins and Nitish Rana,” Venky said.
