CRICKET-Russell and Narine fail with the bat as KKR slumps to a second defeat.

KOLKATA, India, CMC – West Indies Andre Russell snatched three wickets. Still, he failed again with the bat as Kolkata Knight Riders slumped to their second loss in four matches with a 23-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League here Friday.

After Harry Brook’s unbeaten even hundred left KKR with a mountainous 229 to chase at Eden Gardens, Russell perished for three and Sunil Narine for a first-ball ‘duck,’ the run chase ending on 205 for seven.

Captain Nitish Rana slammed 75 from 41 deliveries, and Rinku Singh, a daring 31-ball unbeaten 58 at number seven, but the 32 runs required from the final over proved out of KKR’s reach.

Brook had earlier belted a dozen fours and three sixes in a 55-ball knock to propel Sunrisers after they were sent in.

The Englishman put on 46 for the first wicket with Mayank Agarwal (9) and a 72 for the third wicket with captain Aiden Markram, the South African lashing 50 from 26 deliveries with two fours and five sixes.

Brook also gave the innings momentum at the back end, adding 72 for the fourth wicket with Abhishek Sharma, who made a 17-ball 32 with three fours and a couple of sixes.

Medium pacer Russell was the standout, snaring three for 22 from 2.1 overs, while off-spinner Narine ended wicketless from four overs which cost 28 runs.

KKR’s run chase poorly started, Rahmanullah Gurbaz perishing to the third ball of the innings without a run on the board, and Venkatesh Iyer (10) and Narine following in the fourth over with the score on 20.

The left-handed Nitish, who struck five fours and half-dozen sixes, put on 62 for the fourth wicket with Narayan Jagadeesan (36) to stabilize the innings, but once the latter fell in the ninth over, Russell followed quickly afterward, holing out to long on off leg-spinner Mayank Markande (2-27).

Nitish combined in a 69-run sixth wicket with Rinku, who put on a further 32 with Shardul Thakur (12) for the seventh wicket while blasting four fours and four sixes.

However, 23-year-old seamer Umran Malik kept Rinku quiet in the final over, conceding only eight runs.