IPL 2021: David Hussey hints at Andre Russell's inclusion for the final

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Andre Russell may take the field for the franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) final against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday, October 15. Russell has been out of action due to a Grade 2 hamstring injury he sustained in the league stage game against the same opposition. KKR mentor David Hussey gave an update on Russell’s injury and revealed the all-rounder was bowling before Qualifier 2 and is in the mix for a slot in the playing XI for the final. Russell is a high impact player and will add depth to the team’s batting and bowling departments

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“He was bowling before the game (against DC) today, so he might be in the mix,” Hussey said at the post-match press conference after the win over Delhi Capitals (DC).

Meanwhile, KKR survived a near shock in Qualifier 2. After dominating Delhi Capitals for most of the match, KKR suffered a batting collapse in the final overs to send chills down the spine of KKR supporters. Chasing 136, the team collapsed from 96-1 to 130-6, with four batters registering ducks.

At one point they needed 11 runs in 18 balls but with pressure mounting and wickets tumbling at the other end brought the equation down to 6 off 2 balls. A six off the penultimate ball from Rahul Tripathi sealed the game for them. Hussey revealed that he is not concerned about the collapse, adding that it was a difficult wicket to bat on.

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“No, I'm not concerned because they're all classy players. They know how to play. (It) is just the difficult nature of these pictures, they have been playing on, makes the middle of players, sort of stand out, they are not getting their strike rate 200,” Hussey said.

“They had to knuckle down and maybe a strike rate of 110-120, so not concerned, we are going to Dubai full of confidence and you just never know what's going to happen.”

Earlier, Venkatesh Iyer stroked a brilliant half-century to set up the chase.