Guwahati (Assam), India, March 26 (ANI): Kolkata Knight Riders ( KKR ) bowling coach Bharat Arun has expressed backing for the talented all-rounder Andre Russell Following his disappointment in the squad's first match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Russell scored only four runs. KKR Despite his seven-wicket defeat at Eden Gardens, Arun still believes that the powerful hitter from Jamaica will recover.

Sports involve experiencing failure. You typically encounter failures more frequently than successes, yet for a champion such as Russ, Andre Russell "It’s likely been bothering him that he couldn’t perform in the previous game. He aims to prove himself in each match, and we’re hopeful that he will excel in this upcoming encounter," Arun stated at a pre-match press conference before the game. KKR 's confrontation with the Rajasthan Royals ( RR ).

Pondering over their defeat against RCB, Arun recognized that the squad had potential for improvement yet stayed hopeful.

"In reality, our team isn’t overly concerned about the outcome of the initial match. While starting off with a win does provide some momentum, there were several encouraging aspects. We did identify areas for improvement—maybe we could have seized opportunities more effectively and accumulated additional runs had we not lost crucial wickets toward the close of the innings," he remarked.

Regarding his performance in bowling, Arun acknowledged that there was still some scope for enhancement. However, he highlighted the squad’s dedication to acquiring knowledge and progressing further.

"There’s always room for improvement when bowling, however, this team isn’t overly concerned about it. We will learn from the previous match and strive to get better moving ahead,” he concluded.

With KKR Eager to recover from their initial loss, everyone’s attention will be on Russell as he seeks to leave his mark in their next match against the Rajasthan Royals.

In their first game, as they chased down 175 runs, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli (59*) gave Bangalore a thrilling beginning. Salt took on an aggressive stance, whereas Kohli remained fiercely competitive despite receiving only a few balls during the initial overs.

Thanks to Salt’s aggressive batting, RCB reached 80 runs off the first six overs unscathed, marking their second-largest opening stand ever in this lucrative tournament.

During the initial six overs, KKR Captain Ajinkya Rahane tried every tactic against the formidable pair, even resorting to using mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. However, Salt decimated Chakravarthy in the fourth over, scoring an impressive 21 runs off him.

The smooth swings, seamlessly aligning with their strategy, kept RCB safe during the initial six overs.

KKR discovered the turning point, yet it came too late to rescue the game from slipping away. Shortly after Salt reached his half-century, he mistimed a stroke that landed in Spencer Johnson’s hands, marking Chakaravarthy’s first dismissal of the match.

Devdutt Padikkal attempted to face Sunil Narine by slowly approaching the wicket, but ended up sending the ball directly into Ramandeep Singh's gloves.

The Chase Specialist was in full swing, maintaining his impressive streak and reached his half-century mark by launching the ball over the fielders' heads for a six off the ropes. His name reverberated through Eden Gardens as Royal Challengers Bangalore edged nearer to their triumph. RCB’s captain Rajat Patidar entered the arena, wreaked havoc with an electrifying performance, and swiftly accumulated 34 runs before being dismissed by Vaibhav Arora.

Liam Livingstone (15*) joined the game to secure victory for RCB. His innings began with a boundaries as he hit his first six on the very next delivery, ultimately sealing their triumph with another boundary for a convincing seven-wicket win.

During the initial overs of the 18th edition, the home team struggled right from the beginning when they lost De Kock for only four runs in the first over. The bowler who took the wicket was right-arm seamer Josh Hazelwood.

After the left-handed batsman left, captain Ajinkya Rahane joined Narine at the crease. Together, they aggressively took on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bowlers and achieved their side’s fiftieth run within the first six overs.

Rahane reached his half-century on the inaugural delivery of the ninth over by driving a boundary off the bowler Suyash Sharma, who is a leg spinner.

In the 10th over, Rahane and Narine achieved their century stand in that very over. KKR The franchise conceded their second wicket when Narine returned to the dressing room following his quick innings of 44 runs from only 26 deliveries. Rasikh Salam claimed this dismissal with the final delivery.

During the 11th over, Rahane returned to the pavilion having scored 56 runs, thanks to six boundaries and four maximums in his knock.

The vice-captain, Venkatesh Iyer, went up to bat subsequently but managed only six runs before being dismissed. In the 13th over, with the team’s total at 125, Krunal Pandya bowled him out.

Before Rinku Singh got out during the 15th over due to Krunal Pandya's bowling, two runs had been made. The following wicket happened when the team reached a total of 150 runs. Andre Russell was removed from play in the 16th over by Suyash Sharma.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi got out in the 19th over following his innings of 30 runs off 22 deliveries, courtesy of Yash Dayal's bowling.

In the last over, KKR Lost another wicket with Harshit Rana when the team scored 173 runs. Under Ajinkya Rahane's leadership, the side concluded the first innings with a total of 174 runs and eight wickets down.

For the visiting team, the standout performer with the ball was Krunal Pandya, who took three wickets in a four-over stint, giving away 29 runs.

Josh Hazelwood secured two wickets in his four-over spell, conceding 22 runs. Yash Dayal, Rasikh Salam, and Suyash Sharma claimed one wicket apiece during theirbowling stints. (ANI)