Venky Mysore Andre Russell Ajinkya Rahane for KKR. Image Credits: AFP
KKR management had a blast in the dressing room as power-hitting coach Andre Russell pulled CEO Venky Mysore’s leg in funny banter. This happened after Kolkata beat SRH in the 45th match of the IPL 2026 season.
The Knight Riders delivered a stunning performance amid an underwhelming season to take down a strong side like Sunrisers Hyderabad. As a result, a celebration broke out in the dressing room soon after.
Andre Russell pulls Venk Mysore’s leg in the KKR dressing room
For context, KKR have adopted a tradition this year where they reward the MVP of the game with a ‘Game Changer Award.’ However, power-hitting coach Andre Russell wanted one for everyone.
He said, “If I were the CEO, the entire team would get the Game Changer Award.”
Meanwhile, KKR CEO Venky Mysore burst into laughter upon hearing Russell’s request and hit back, saying, “Thank God he’s not.”
Watch the video below:
The entire KKR dressing room laughed wholeheartedly at this funny banter as the atmosphere turned light in the aftermath of a dominating win.
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KKR celebrate Russell’s birthday
Meanwhile, the night of May 3 was special for KKR. Not only did that win a crucial game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, but it also celebrated Andre Russell’s birthday.
Players smashed a chocolate cake on Russel’s face in celebration. Sunil Narine started it while coach Abhishek Nayar held Russell so that the power-hitting coach couldn't escape, while others joined in.
KKR posted the video of the celebration, and it showed team bonding, which is critical for the Knight Riders this season, as they had a terrible start to the IPL 2026 season.
But now, after 3 wins, KKR will back themselves to fight for the playoff spot in the second half of the tournament.
SRH choked while KKR prevailed
Meanwhile, in the 45th fixture of the IPL 2026 season, Sunrisers Hyderabad had a flying start as usual. Travis Head smashed 61 off just 28 balls to bring up 100 runs for SRH inside the first 9 overs.
While Ishan Kishan also contributed with 42 off 29 balls, the middle and lower order collapsed completely. No batter apart from Head and Kishan could score more than 15 runs. As a result, despite a strong start, SRH settled for 165/10.
Varun Chakaravarthy flipped the game for KKR, picking up 3 wickets for 36 runs. Sunil Narine and Kartik Tyagi picked 2 wickets each, while Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy and Cameron Green also chipped in with a wicket each.
In the second innings, Ajinkya Rahane and Finn Allen stitched a 49-run partnership to set up a strong foundation. Angkrish Raghuvanshi later joined in to score 59 off 47 balls.
KKR eventually chased down the total in 18.2 overs to seal a comfortable 7-wicket victory.
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