Even West Indies didn’t invest on me as much as KKR did: Russell

The Kolkata Knight Riders have had an inconsistent season in the 2023 Indian Premier League so far, having won three of their seven games. The side has faced issues with its batting performances, and the absence of first-choice skipper Shreyas Iyer further elevated the concerns. It doesn't help the KKR that one of their most explosive batters – Andre Russell – is going through a rough patch with the bat. In 8 matches, Russell has scored only 108 runs so far at a poor average of 18.

Russell, did, however, bowl his entire quota of four overs for the first time in the side's previous game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, taking two wickets while conceding 29 runs. The spell from Russell was crucial to KKR's win and the Knight Riders would now be hoping for the star all-rounder to translate his performances with the bat too.

Regardless, Russell has remained one of KKR's most important players over the past many years. A part of the franchise since 2014, Russell made his name for his explosive hitting in the tournament; in the 2019 edition, Russell ended with 510 runs to his name at a staggering strike rate of 204.81. In the past few years, however, Russell has struggled with his knee and in a chat with Star Sports, the West Indian opened up on how the Knight Riders helped him with his treatment.

"Where I was, a few years ago, KKR actually made things happen for me where they sent me to get proper treatments on my knees. That's something special to me to be honest. No other franchise or even my country never really invested that much on me," Russell said.

"I'm happy here. I don't see any other franchise I would love to be a part of in this tournament because I've been here for about 9 years now. Been here for so many years, I meet these guys, get closer to them every year. When cricket isn't there, I'm still in communication with Mr Venky (Mysore). I look up to him, I really respect him," the all-rounder further stated.

Russell was forced to miss a large part of the 2019 World Cup as he had knee surgery in June; ever since, the all-rounder has been facing consistent issues with his knee. Last year, Russell also had a fallout with the West Indies cricket board after the side's then head-coach Phil Simmons had claimed that there's lack of clarity over his availability for the international side.