Dwayne Bravo, the former West Indies allrounder and now mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders, has come out in support of Andre Russell, who has been struggling with his form lately. Bravo pointed out that Russell isn’t alone in this; the whole Kolkata batting lineup has been having a tough time. So far in IPL 2025, Russell has only managed to score double digits twice in six matches, and it’s clear that he’s having a hard time against wrist spinners.
Just the other day, Kolkata couldn’t chase down a hefty target of 199, and previously they also stumbled when trying to get 113 runs against the Punjab Kings. This poor performance has left fans and analysts questioning the batting skills of the team. In a post-match press conference, Bravo defended Russell, saying, “Andre Russell is a seasoned player who has seen a lot of success. Sure, he has been dismissed a couple of times by leg-spinners, but the problem isn’t just him. As a team, we need to step up our game. That’s the truth.”
He continued, “Look, it’s not just Russell who’s fumbling at the moment. The whole group needs to step up and support each other. The IPL is harsh and if your start is rocky, it can really mess with the players’ confidence.” When Russell first stepped onto the field, he made a decent start with a four and a six against Washington Sundar. But once Sai Kishore and then Rashid Khan came into bowl, things took a turn for the worse. He looked completely lost and eventually got stumped after attempting to play a delivery that turned out to be a googly from Rashid.
Bravo mentioned that he doesn’t see Russell’s struggles against wrist spinners as a major worry. “Not every team relies on leg-spinners, and today he faced someone as skilled as Rashid Khan. Plus, whenever Russell comes in to bat, he’s usually looking at a run rate of 14 or 15 runs an over,” he explained. He also touched on the need for better performance from the top order so that Russell can do what he does best — finish games for KKR. “Yes, he may have fallen to leg-spinners a few times, but I don’t think that’s something to stress over.”
Lastly, Bravo brought up the pitch at Eden Gardens, saying that concerns have been raised about it being less than ideal for the team’s preferred style of play this season.
