Andre Russell, Rishabh Pant dominate the first double header of IPL 2019 as KKR beat SRH, DC demolish MI

[caption id=“attachment_6323101” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] Andre Russell slammed 49 off 19 as Kolkata Knight Riders scored an improbable 53 runs in last three overs to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in the first match of the sides in IPL 2019. Sportszpics[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_6323171” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] David Warner made the best possible return to IPL after missing out the last season due to ball-tampering ban as he scored 85 off 53 balls to help SRh amass 181/3 after batting first against KKR. Sportzpics[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_6323111” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] Johny Bairstow on his IPL debut scored 39 off 35 as he provided SRH the perfect platform for a massive total opening the batting with David Warner. Sportzpics[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_6323121” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] Chasing a big total, KKR’s Nitish Rana provided his side the perfect start as the opener scored 68 off 47 balls to take the pressure off the middle-order. Sportzpics[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_6323151” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] The KKR-SRH match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata was also halted for 12 minutes during Hyderabad’s batting due to power outage. The break helped SRH turn the match in their favour as Rana fell immediately after resumption of the game. Sportzpics[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_6323141” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] KKR, however, prevailed over SRH due to some terrific power-hitting in death overs by Shubham Gill and Andr Russell. While Russell made the bulk of runs, Gill slammed two sixes in the final over to lead the Kolkata franchise to victory. Sportzpics[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_6323131” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] Shikhar Dhawan scored 43 off 36 on his return for Delhi as the national capital franchise made a good start against Mumbai Indians despite DC losing two wickets early on. Sportzpics[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_6323181” align=“alignnone” width=“940”]  Rishabh Pant was the star of the match as he brought his best game forward scoring 78 off 27 to help DC score 213/6 against MI. Pant slammed seven sixes and seven fours during his whirlwind innings. Sportzpics[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_6323211” align=“alignnone” width=“940”]  Mitchell McGlenagahan was the pick of the bowlers for MI in their opening game. The Kiwi pacer returned with figures of 40/4 in his four overs despite some brutal assault by Pant and Co. Sportzpics[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_6323221” align=“alignnone” width=“940”]  Yuvraj Singh lit up Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai as he slammed 53 off 35 to keep MI in the chase for long despite not getting required support from other batsmen. He also answered a lot of critics with his sublime knock. Sportzpics[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_6323231” align=“alignnone” width=“940”]  Krunal Pandya slammed 32 off 15 balls to provide some late push to MI’s chase but his innings eventually proved to be ineffective as DC registered a 37-run win. Sportzpics[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_6323241” align=“alignnone” width=“940”]  Apart from Yuvraj, another veteran who impressed with his performance on the night was Ishant Sharma. The tall pacer took two wickets for 34 as DC made a winning start to their season. Sportzpics[/caption]