![Hardik Pandya's 91-run blitz in IPL 2019 [Source: @CricCrazyJohns, @mipaltan/X.com]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1753593880651_Hardik_Pandya_Andre_Russell_IPL.jpg?type=mq)
Hardik Pandya's 91-run blitz in IPL 2019 [Source: @CricCrazyJohns, @mipaltan/X.com]
In a high-scoring encounter between the Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians at Eden Gardens on April 28, 2019, Hardik Pandya overpowered Andre Russell by hitting a whirlwind innings of 91 off 34 deliveries. He almost led MI to chase 233 but fell 32 runs short.
Batting first, Russell owned the show for KKR. He hit 80 runs off 40 balls at no.3, and his firebrand knock took Kolkata to a record total of 232 runs at the cost of only 2 wickets.
Hardik Pandya’s Blinder Knock Overshadowed Andre Russell
However, the game had just begun. In the chase, coming in at no. 6 with the Mumbai Indians struggling at 58/4, Hardik Pandya unleashed one of the most explosive innings in IPL history. He smashed 91 off just 34 balls, peppering the ground with 6 fours and 9 monstrous sixes.
Andre Russell may have been the official MVP for KKR, delivering with both bat and ball, but Hardik’s counterattack nearly flipped the script. At one point, with Pandya in full flow, the required run rate looked manageable, and KKR’s camp was visibly nervous.
His brutal strike rate of 267.64 overshadowed even Russell’s spectacular 200.00. Even as wickets fell on the other end, Hardik continued to fight, sending bowlers such as Piyush Chawla and Sunil Narine over the boundary.
While the scoreboard showed MI falling short by 34 runs, Pandya's one-man rampage provided KKR a real scare. Although KKR won the game and Russell lifted the trophy as Player of the Match, it was Hardik Pandya's name that topped headlines and hearts.
In the all-rounder's battle, Russell might have won the war, but Pandya almost stole the show with a roar of a bat greater than Eden Gardens ever did.
