Are the alarm bells ringing for Andre Russell?

In a contest where more than 450 runs were scored in less than 40 overs, it's probably redundant to count the number of sixes. The excessive six-fest, especially over the last couple of seasons of IPL, may have dulled the charm of the big hit. Yet when Andre Russell launched Akash Deep over the ropes, a rather exhausted crowd at the Eden Gardens, most of whom had braced the afternoon heat in Kolkata without a shelter, marked their volumes higher than they had till then in the match.

With 56 needed off 26 balls, the game was certainly in balance, and even as Kolkata Knight Riders had lost two wickets in quick succession, with Russell and Rinku Singh to take charge in the last four overs of the chase, there was hope to track down the remaining runs.

But was the noise, one that no other follow-up or preceding hit over the rope had entertained, just for the fact that KKR were still in the hunt? Or was it for because there was hope that Andre Russell, the long-time death-over destroyer and gamechanger for KKR, was finally coming into his elements this season?

The answer will remain uncertain, at least for now. But on objective scales, it was the first six of the IPL season for Russell. In fact, with that one hit, off the second ball of his innings, he had registered his highest score of the season.

That hope that Russell, who was scratchy and out of form, had returned to his elements, flickered only for a few more minutes from thereon. What he had dispatched over the boundary ropes was a full delivery in his swinging arc. In the first ball of the next over, he failed to connect a low full toss from Shardul Thakur, who has struck thrice with a similar delivery in the last two seasons of IPL, and was caught.

Russell's early departure allowed LSG to enter KKR's lower order and severely dented the home side's hopes of crossing the finish line. Even as Rinku struck a 15-ball 38, his contribution only helped to take KKR to a narrow four-run distance from the opposition.

The defending champions may have had a rusty start to their campaign. Even with five games in, and only two wins to boot, they have witnessed the perks of sticking with their options instead of panicking into haphazard changes. Nothing was more evident than the persistence of playing Sunil Narine at the top, a move that paid dividends with the southpaw blazing away to a 13-ball 30 on Tuesday.

While most players have picked form as the season has progressed, KKR's overseas buys, especially Russell, Quinton de Kock and Spencer Johnson, have been far from impressive. While de Kock and Johnson's inconsistencies have been covered up by the rest of the batters and bowlers respectively, Russell plays a rather unique role, one which he has done exceedingly well over the years for KKR unlike de Kock and Johnson who are new to the setup.

At the peak of his batting powers, in 2019, he had urged KKR to promote him higher up the order to reap maximum rewards of his destructive abilities. But over the years, he has continued to be reserved as the accelerator in the death overs. His ability to absorb pressure and beat down high required rates with immediate impact, a skill hosted by very few around the world, had been his special talent which the team didn't want to trade for any other role.

Even as KKR now have two more players in that role - Rinku and Ramandeep Singh - games like the one that panned out against LSG aren't rare. Russell is called in quite often to bail his team out.

The high-risk, high-reward nature of his role is bound to see its share of inconsistencies. That Russell has gained the reputation in the position he has comes down to how well he has historically aced these situations. Ajinkya Rahane, the KKR captain, has backed Russell to come good.

"Not really (concerned about Russell's batting form)," Rahane said following the loss against Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday. "Russell, we all know, is a dangerous player. Chasing 230 plus, it's again, batsmen will have to go really hard. Sometimes it clicks, sometimes it doesn't. So, it's all about having that intent. We all know that Russell is a quality player. We are not at all concerned or worried about his form."

Ahead of the contest against Sunrisers Hyderabad last week, Dwayne Bravo, the team mentor and Russell's long-time teammate, had also brushed aside concerns over Russell not making a mark in the IPL this year. He had said that Russell had done too well for too long for KKR to be doubted at the back of a couple of failures.

It's a fair hand of support. But the concerns run deeper than merely four innings in the IPL. He has struggled across tournaments, across countries and across teams since putting up a fine all-round show in KKR's title-winning campaign last season, and some middling returns in the T20 World Cup (78 runs @ 26/165.95) and the Caribbean Premier League (129 runs @ 25.80/161.25).

Russell's T20 batting performances since July 25, 2024

With one-third of the league stage done, KKR are playing catch-up from the second half of the points table. If they want to make themselves the threatening team they were last season, Russell's performances will play a big role. The all-rounder has had some important moments with the ball, a responsibility he hasn't had to carry as much this season. But his bigger game-changing powers still lie with the bat, an aspect that KKR are reliant on, to win them critical moments in the games.

For whatever few fleeting minutes, that one strike from Russell may have stirred hope of something familiar. It is that sight that KKR would want to see much more of over the course of the next month and a half.