Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) players and support staff came together to celebrate dashing all-rounder Andre Russell’s birthday, who turned 34 on Friday, April 29.
Andre Russell made his first international appearance for the West Indies A team in a 50-over contest against Ireland in June 2010.
He left a powerful impact in his first international game as he smashed a 34-ball 61 and scalped six wickets giving 42 runs.
That performance helped him earn a spot in the 2011 World Cup squad of West Indies. Andre Russell played his ODI debut match for West Indies against Ireland at Mohali during the 2011 World Cup.
As an all-rounder, Andre Russell can decimate the bowing in short bursts. So far, the power hitter produced 1034 runs and bagged 70 wickets playing 56 ODIs so far.
A special day for a special player! đź’śđź’›
Join us in wishing @Russell12A the happiest birthday! 🥳#KKRHaiTaiyaar pic.twitter.com/YQsTmcBJeV
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 29, 2022
He has appeared in 67 T20Is for West Indies and scored a total of 741 runs and got 39 wickets. However, he is famously known for his breathtaking performances in the Indian Premier League.
Andre Russell started his IPL career for the Delhi-based franchise Delhi Daredevils in 2012.
In 2014, Kolkata Knight Riders recruited him and since then he has scored some breath-taking innings in the KKR Camp.
Over the years, Andre Russell has etched his name as one of the best IPL all-rounders of all time. During his IPL journey, Andre Russel has scored 1927 runs and took 82 wickets in his 93 appearances so far.
The Kolkata franchise shared a short clip of the celebration on their social media. KKR ordered a customised cake for the hard-hitting all-rounder.
Watch video From Here Russell’s B’day celebration:
“A smashing celebration for the man who smashes it big! 🎂 Have a great day, Dre Russ! ✨ @mioamore_bakery | #KKRHaiTaiyaar #IPL2022.”
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He has also played for different franchises like Melbourne Stars, Nangarhar Leopards, Colombo Kings, Sydney Thunder, Comilla Warriors, Islamabad United, Nottinghamshire and many more teams in several T20 tournaments around the globe.
A look at Andre Russell’s top 5 IPL performances:
88 runs in 36 balls (KKR vs CSK) in 2018: Andre Russell produced a storm on the field during a clash between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings in 2008.
He registered an unbeaten 88 runs facing 36 deliveries with a strike rate of 244.44. He smashed 11 huge maximums and a single boundary helping KKR to post 202 runs on board.
80 runs in 40 balls (KKR vs MI) in 2019: Andre Russell played a brilliant knock against Mumbai Indians at KKR’s home venue Eden Gardens in 2019. His innings helped KKR to reach a gigantic score of 232. Russell’s innings was laced with six fours and eight sixes.
70 runs in 32 balls (KKR vs PBKS) in 2022: Andre Russell storm hit the Wankhede Stadium in the latest edition of IPL against Punjab Kings. He played a devastating knock of 70 runs to take KKR to the victory line almost singlehandedly. His innings included eight maximums and two boundaries.
65 runs in 25 balls (KKR vs RCB) in 2019: While chasing down 214 runs, Andre Russell posted 65 runs in 25 deliveries hitting nine maximums and two fours with a strike rate of 260.10. However, KKR lost the match by 10 runs in the end.
48 runs in 13 balls (KKR vs RCB) in 2019: Andre Russell blasted 48 runs with a rare strike rate of 369.20 and helped KKR to chase down the target of 206 runs. He was awarded the player of the match title for his significant contribution to KKR’s victory.