With 10 days to go before the start of the ICC T20 World Cup, defending champion West Indies has received a boost on the heels of news that all-rounder Andre Russell is nearing full fitness, having returned to training for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Russell suffered a hamstring injury in late September in a match against the Chennai Super Kings that the KKR lost by two wickets. The West Indies were keeping a close eye on the situation with CWI CEO Johnny Grave saying that CWI was in close contact with KKR as both entities sweated on the health of the match-winning player.

However, on Wednesday (October 6), Russell posted on Instagram that it felt good to be back in training.

His return is also positive news to KKR as they headed into today’s must-win match against the Rajasthan Royals.

KKR lifted the mood of their supporters with a social media post showing their star overseas players back on the training pitch. The Instagram post by the two-time champions claims that to duo are ‘firing on all cylinders’ ahead of the do-or-die game suggesting they could be fit to take the field against RR at the Sharjah Cricket Ground on Thursday.

Victory over the Royals will guarantee KKR qualification into the play-offs irrespective of Mumbai Indians’ (MI) result against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). A superior net-run rate makes it next to impossible for the defending champions to overtake them in the table if the two teams end on the same points.

Russell’s injury significantly impacted KKR’s fortunes with head coach Brendon McCullum emphasising the Jamaican’s importance to the balance of the team following their loss to Punjab Kings a week ago.

“In terms of the balance, when you take out a world-class allrounder like Russell, it’s always difficult to balance your side,” McCullum said. “When you take one of your big players who happens to be an allrounder out, you’re always going to get the delicate balance of going either bowling strong or batting strong.”