IPL 2025: KKR vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer reveals why Andre Russell isn't batting up the order this season

Venkatesh Iyer is the vice-captain of KKR in IPL 2025.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer has elaborated the reason why Andre Russell isn’t batting up the order in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Notably, Russell has stuck to batting slot No.7 and below in the tournament so far.

For instance, the KKR all-rounder came out to bat at No.7 position in their last match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He got out for seven runs in the match after facing four deliveries.

The West Indies stalwart has only faced a total of 20 deliveries across four innings so far in IPL 2025. He accounts for 17 runs at a strike rate of 85.0 and one six. Hence, Russell has completely failed to fire with the bat in the tournament.

We’ve to consider left-right combination: Venkatesh Iyer on Andre Russell’s batting slot

Ahead of KKR’s next match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, KKR vice-captain Iyer revealed why Russell is not batting up the order this season. Iyer said that the team has a few powerful batters in the middle-order who give a tough competition to Russell. He also added that KKR also look to maintain the left-right combination during matches.

“Obviously, people [outside] would be talking about when he should come and when he should not. But we should not forget that we have Rinku Singh also. We have Ramandeep Singh also. Yes, Dre [Andre Russell] has been doing this for a very long time, but we have got able competition for him as well,” the left-handed batsman was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo.

“When all these players come together in a combination, it is very difficult for the opposition to bowl at them. And there are a lot of grounds where we also have to consider maintaining a left-right combination. So, there are a lot of things that delay or alter a certain batter’s entry positions, but trust me, everything within the team is well thought of,” Iyer further added.

Notably, KKR have a strong batting line-up this season with the likes of Quinton de Kock, Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Iyer and Russell add to their batting strength.

Despite a powerful set of batters, the Ajinkya Rahane & Co. have won two games and lost three matches out of five in the league so far. They are currently slotted sixth in the points table with four points. They will face CSK in their next match on Friday, April 11, in Chennai.

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