IPL 2021 Final: KKR coach Brendon McCullum reveals why Andre Russell missed title clash vs CSK

Mahendra Singh Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings to their fourth Indian Premier League title, outwitting Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs in a one-sided final on Friday (October 15).

Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Brendon McCullum conceded that his team was outplayed by a very good Chennai Super Kings side in the IPL 2021 final but also blamed an underwhelming middle-order batting performance for the comprehensive loss. McCullum also stated that explosive batter Andre Russell could not make the XI despite working hard to be match-fit after a hamstring injury.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings to their fourth Indian Premier League title, outwitting Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs in a one-sided final on Friday (October 15). “It’s a shame that we fell short, but we were outplayed by a very good CSK side today,” McCullum said at the post-match press conference.

Kolkata suffered a middle-order collapse and when asked whether the problem lay precisely there, McCullum agreed. “Yeah, I think, that’s a fair assessment. I think, our bowling group did really good job, we fielded well and our top-order batting was superb, but unfortunately we weren't quite able to get the real impact through our middle-order players.