Russell blitz takes KKR past 200

But Russell changed the game's complexion with brutal power-hitting that saw his team raise 79 runs in the last five overs to finish at 202 for six.

Put in to bat, KKR openers Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine scored 18 off Deepak Chahar's first over. Left-hander Narine struck two sizes in that over to make his intentions clear. 

The home team's skipper MS Dhoni introduced spin in the second over through Harbhajan Singh and the move paid dividends immediately as the 38-year-old off-spinner removed the dangerous Narine who offered a simple catch to Suresh Raina at mid-off. Harbhajan could very well have added another wicket off the next ball, but Chahar, positioned at square leg, spilled a tough chance.

Robin Uthappa walked in at number three and got into run-scoring act quickly with a delicious flick off his pads for boundary off Shane Watson helping him get off the mark.

Dhoni adopted the ploy of using five different bowlers for the first five overs and apart from the surprise element, it didn't yield much for the home team.

From a healthy 50 for one in the fifth over, KKR slid to 89 for five in the tenth over and at that stage it looked like KKR would struggle to get beyond 150.

In the eighth over of the innings, things took an ugly turn when a spectator hurled shoes in the direction of Ravindra Jadeja, who was fielding at long on. The two miscreants, responsible for that indiscretion, were quickly detained. 

That KKR managed to reach the score it did was possible due to the bludgeoning batsman ship of Russell who was in a punishing mood.

The 29-year-old was particularly harsh on Dwayne Bravo and struck three towering sizes in the 19th over. In all, Russell hit six sixes off Bravo and one landed outside the stadium. Bravo, known for his death-over skills, had a forgettable time with the ball conceding 50 runs off three overs.

Russell was involved in a valuable 76-run stand with skipper Dinesh Karthik for the sixth wicket off only 46 balls.