Kolkata Knight Riders have announced the replacement of Andre Russell for the upcoming IPL. New Zealand all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme has been added to the KKR squad ahead of the team’s opening game on April 7.
Russell was banned from all forms of the game after he reportedly failed a series of drug tests under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules and therefore, Rusell is set to stay away from cricket beyond the tenth edition of the IPL.
While most of the KKR fans are disappointed with Russel’s exclusion, skipper Gautam Gambhir is seeing this as a good opportunity for other players to step up. Amidst this scenario, drafting in of Colin de Grandhomme has come as a big bonus for the Knight Riders.
De Grandhomme, who made his Test debut in 2016 and ODI debut in 2012, has featured in six Tests, nine ODI’s and eight T20I’s for the Black Caps.
He played his first Test against Pakistan and got a six-wicket haul in his first innings.
