IPL 2021 Purple Cap race: Andre Russell jumps to No.1, Rahul Chahar impresses vs KKR

The clash between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders proved to be a blockbuster one as both the teams battled it out in a closely-fought contest at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday. KKR captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and asked MI to bat first on the surface. While several KKR players chipped in with tidy spells in the encounter, it was Andre Russell who shifted the momentum of the game with a splendid bowling performance in the death overs. 

Andre Russell vs MI: The all-rounder bags a stunning fifer 

The 32-year-old was brought into the attack by Eoin Morgan in the 18th over. The star all-rounder had the imposing task of bowling against Mumbai Indians' explosive middle-order batsmen during the all-important final overs of innings. The speedster showcased exemplary composure during the crucial passage of play as he executed his plans brilliantly. The bowler went around the wickets against right-handers and bowled wide yorkers to limit scoring opportunities. 

The ploy worked for the fast bowler as he dismissed T20 veteran Kieron Pollard as well as Marco Jansen in his first over. Russell also bowled the ultimate over of MI's innings and picked up the wickets of Krunal Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rahul Chahar to claim a five-wicket haul in the game. The fast bowler became only the second player to claim five wickets in a game against the Mumbai Indians. With six wickets in two matches in the IPL 2021, the West Indies international is the current IPL 2021 Purple Cap holder. 

Harshal Patel IPL 2021 

The bowling all-rounder was traded from the Delhi Capitals to the Royal Challengers Bangalore side ahead of the IPL 2021 auction earlier this year. The bowler had a spectacular start to the season as he became the first player in the history of the cash-rich league to take a fifer against MI. The Harshal Patel IPL 2021 five-wicket-haul has put him second amongst the IPL 2021 highest wicket-takers so far. The right-hander has an opportunity to claim the IPL 2021 Purple Cap on Wednesday as the Royal Challengers Bangalore take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad. 

Rahul Chahar vs KKR 

While the Andre Russell vs MI performance became the talking point in the first innings of the match, it was Rahul Chahar who was the pick of the bowlers in the subsequent innings. The 21-year-old MI leg-spinner claimed four crucial wickets in the game and conceded just 27 runs from his full quota of four overs. The talented youngster dismissed the top four batsmen of the KKR batting order to bring his side back into the contest. With 4 wickets in 2 games, Chahar presently occupies the third spot in the list of IPL 2021's top wicket-takers. The Rahul Chahar vs KKR performance will surely be remembered for a long time.

KKR vs MI scorecard 

Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected to bowl first at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday, April 13. Mumbai Indians were bundled out for 152 runs in the match. Suryakumar Yadav was the top scorer for MI with 56 runs while Andre Russell was the pick of the bowlers for KKR as he registered stunning bowling figures of 5/15.

KKR could manage 147 runs in response and lost the fixture by 10 runs. Nitish Rana once again impressed with the bat as he slammed 57 runs. MI leg-spinner Rahul Chahar bagged 4/27 against KKR. 

Image source: Kolkata Knight Riders Instagram