IPL 2022: We were in the game but Andre Russell took it away, says Punjab skipper Mayank Agarwal

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash on Friday, Punjab Kings' (PBKS) skipper Mayank Agarwal praised all-rounder Andre Russell for his match-winning knock. Andre Russell's unbeaten knock of 70 from 31 balls helped KKR score 141 for 4 in 14.3 overs in reply to Punjab's 137 to register a six-wicket victory and make a mockery of the chase here at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday. "We didn't bat well enough. We showed some real fight with the ball initially and then Andre Russell came in and got going. Credit to him for taking the game away from us like that. I think it was a 170-ish wicket. We started off well but could not capitalize; there were a few soft dismissals," said Agarwal at the post-match presentation.

Read AlsoIPL 2022, Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings: Umesh Yadav's pace, Andre Russell's power too hot for Punjab Kings

Umesh Yadav's 4/23 and Andre Russell's unbeaten 70 off 31 balls steered Kolkata Knight Riders to a six-wicket over Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League on Friday. The West Indian hit eight towering sixes to stay unbeaten on 31-ball 70. KKR bowlers never allowed the Punjab batters to settle

"But it is fine as it is the start of the tournament. They (bowlers) pulled it back nicely for us. With (KKR) 4 for 50 (51 for 4), we were in the game, but Russell took the game away. There were a lot of positives to take away," he added. PBKS were bowled out for a modest 137 in 18.2 overs as Umesh Yadav bagged four wickets for 23 runs to earn the 'Player of the Match' award. Punjab started off aggressively despite losing their captain Agarwal in the very first over to Yadav but Bhanuka Rajapaksa's 31-run knock off just 9 balls helped the 2014 finalists reach the 50-run