By Admin 
The auction for the Indian Premier League 2026 will take place on 16 December. Andre Russell’s name will also be among the players on whom bidding will be done on this day. Russell, who has been the poster boy of Kolkata Knight Riders for many years, has been released by KKR. This was the most surprising thing in the retention of all the teams. Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes that the reason behind this is the head coach of KKR, who wants to form his new team.
While talking about retention on YouTube channel, Mohammad Kaif alleged that Abhishek Nair was the direct reason for KKR releasing Andre Russell. Let us tell you that the Kolkata team has also made many changes in its coaching department before IPL 2026. Abhishek was elected head coach and Shane Watson was made assistant coach. Tim Saudi has been appointed bowling coach.
what did mohammed kaif say
Kaif said, “It is not right to release Russell. You bought him for Rs 12 crore and it was not a big amount for a player like him. Only one player like him comes in this era. Yes, he was not in form, but later he also scored runs. But as coaches change, they bring some changes. I think it was a big decision.”
Kaif further said, “You can say that Russell was not at his peak yet, but I think this is a format, especially in IPL, where experienced players perform well and there are many examples of this. I think the direct answer to his release is Abhishek Nair. He wants to build his own team now. But it was a surprising decision.”
Andre Russell’s IPL career
Many people may think that Andre Russell has been playing for KKR since the beginning in IPL. Actually he had become a poster boy of the KKR team, although it was not so. He started his IPL career by playing in Delhi Capitals. He was a part of Delhi in 2012 and 2013, in 2014 KKR included him in their team and then he played for the same team till 2025.
Andre Russell has played a total of 140 matches in IPL, in which he has scored 2651 runs. Russell has scored 12 half-centuries in IPL. Russell has taken a total of 123 wickets in IPL. It will be interesting to see which team Andre Russell joins in the upcoming IPL season, or whether he will return to KKR. Let us tell you that KKR has the biggest purse in the IPL auction.