'If one can be brutally honest, he is part of this set-up more because of his reputation.'
Kolkata Knight Riders produced a dismal batting display, collapsing for just 95 against Punjab Kings to lose by 16 runs in Mullanpur on Tuesday, April 15, 2025.
This was the lowest total ever successfully defended in IPL history while KKR registered their third lowest total in the league.
Chasing 112, KKR began aggressively but paid the price for their approach, losing wickets at regular intervals.
Young Angkrish Raghuvanshi was the only batter to cross 20, scoring 37, while eight others fell for single-digit scores.
Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim pointed to all-rounder Andre Russell's poor form as a key reason behind KKR's lower-order struggles.
Russell made 17 from 11 balls before he was bowled by Punjab Kings pacer Marco Jansen -- the last wicket to fall for KKR.
This season he has managed just 34 runs in 31 balls faced across five innings.
With the ball he has taken five wickets at a high economy rate of 13.53.
He hasn't not contributed with the bat much in recent seasons.
In IPL 2024, he made 222 runs with just one half-century, while in IPL 2023 he tallied 227 runs at an average of 20 without a single half-century.
'This is not the first season that he has disappointed his side, and also himself,' Karim told JioHotstar.
'I have seen Andre Russell not only in the IPL, even in other global franchise leagues, he has struggled for runs. And I think he strives to compensate by bowling those two-three overs and picking up wickets. But if one can be brutally honest, he is part of this set-up more because of his reputation,' Karim added.
'When is the last time he has come up with a match-winning performance? That's what you need. That's the reason why Kolkata Knight Riders have retained him, they want Russell to win such encounters for them,' Karim said.
'He has hardly done anything of note. And I think that's one of the reasons why KKR's lower middle order has struggled.'
Captain Ajinkya Rahane is the leading run-scorer for KKR this season, with 221 runs in seven games, at a strike rate of 148, with two fifties. His deputy Venkatesh Iyer, who was signed on by KKR for Rs 23.75 crore (Rs 237.5 million) at the IPL 2025 auction, has managed just 121 runs, with just one fifty in five innings
Karim also criticised the KKR batters for their reckless shot selection despite chasing a small target.
'Ajinkya Rahane, although he's the captain, played the wrong shot and he was the first one to admit it. But even after his departure, what about the other batters?'
'On a track like this, you have to go back to solid defence, because you're only chasing 111. It's not like you're chasing 180 or 200 and you have to go bang-bang at a run rate of 9 or 10 per over.'
'Here, one could not even think about having an asking run rate. If you had only decided to play those four overs of Yuzvendra Chahal cautiously, you could have easily won this game.'
Former India pacer Varun Aaron described Punjab's sensational victory as 'the biggest heist he has seen' in the IPL.
'What we saw, I would say, is the eighth wonder of the world. It's unbelievable what happened,' Aaron said.
'You thought it was going to be an easy game, but the Punjab Kings side showed a lot of gumption in the way they played, especially with those wickets up front. Great catching.'
Aaron hailed Yuzvendra Chahal who claimed 4/28 to spin the hosts to victory.
'Yuzvendra Chahal... there is a reason why he's the best bowler in the league. That ball which got Rinku Singh was 72 kilometres an hour, that's how slow he bowled that. And you need a lot of steel to come up with the goods when the team needs you.'