Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling coach Dwayne Bravo delivered a candid assessment of the team’s batting woes following their 39-run defeat to Gujarat Titans (GT) at Eden Gardens, marking KKR’s fifth loss in IPL 2025. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Bravo emphasized that the responsibility for the team’s struggles extended beyond Andre Russell, stating it was unfair to single him out amid a collective loss of confidence among the batters.

“Russell is not the only one who is struggling at the moment. IPL is a tough tournament. And when you don’t start well, batsmen go into a period where they lose confidence. And that’s what’s happening at the moment. We just have to keep backing them and hopefully they come good,” Bravo remarked, highlighting the psychological impact of a poor start to the season.

Against GT, KKR’s top order faltered once again, with RahmanullahGurbaz and Sunil Narine managing just 1 and 17 runs respectively. Captain AjinkyaRahane was the lone bright spot, scoring a fighting half-century, but the rest of the batting lineup failed to provide support. Bravo also questioned the decision to send young AngkrishRaghuvanshi as low as number 9, especially when the team was already struggling for stability at the top.

Bravo further pointed out the recurring scenario where Russell is left to chase daunting run rates late in the innings. “When Russell walks into bat every time, the run rate is at 14-15. So the work needs to be done on top so that we give him a chance to finish off games like he’s accustomed to doing over the years for KKR,” he added.