Sharjah [UAE], October 7 (ANI): Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Eoin Morgan said all-rounder Andre Russell has been working “incredibly” hard to recover from the injury.

Shivam Mavi picked four while Lockie Ferguson scalped three wickets as KKR thrashed Rajasthan Royals by 86 runs on Thursday.

KKR have pretty much booked their place in the final four and Morgan has kept his fingers crossed over Russell’s availability.

“A really strong performance today. Having aggressive players coming in in the middle order helped us kick… Shakib coming in and performing the way he has in the last two games has made replacing Andre Russell easier. He has contributed massively,” said Morgan during the post-match presentation.

“We are taking it day by day [with Russell], so he’s working incredibly hard. Fingers crossed. I hope [I can play golf tomorrow]. I am not too attached to things as to what will happen and what won’t happen… We have done everything tonight. We deserved to win,” he added.

KKR scored 171/4 and then folded Rajasthan Royals for 85/10 in 16.1 overs. With this win, KKR have consolidated the fourth spot with 14 points.

“I don’t think it could have got better. Losing the toss and batting was difficult. The start we got was fantastic. Gill and Iyer have been our shining light. To get 170 we thought was in a commanding position,” said Morgan. (ANI)