Andre Russell has surprised everyone by retiring from IPL. Andre Russell, who has been playing for Kolkata Knight Riders since 2014, was not retained by KKR before the upcoming season (IPL 2026). Russell is a great all-rounder, so it was believed that there could be a tough competition in the auction among all the franchises to include him in their team. But even before that, Russell has announced his retirement from IPL.

Before the IPL 2026 auction, Kolkata Knight Riders had retained only 12 players. The most surprising thing was that the name of Andre Russell, who was known as the poster boy of KKR, was not there in it. Andre Russell announced his retirement from IPL and shared a video, which featured some of his memorable moments spent in KKR. Along with this it was told that he will be seen in a new role in KKR in IPL 2026.

Andre Russell retired from IPL

Andre Russell wrote, “Retiring from IPL, but not giving up the swag. Had a great IPL career, memories of 12 seasons, and a lot of love from the KKR family. I will keep hitting sixes and taking wickets in other cricket leagues of the world.”

Russell further wrote, “And what’s the best thing? That I am not leaving home. You will see me in a new role, in the support staff of KKR, as the power coach of 2026. New chapter, new energy. Always for the Knights.”

Andre Russell’s IPL career

Andre Russell was known as the poster boy of KKR, so many people would be surprised to know that Russell started his IPL career by playing for Delhi Capitals. He played for Delhi in 2012 and 2013. In 2014, he joined KKR and since then has become a special member of this team.

• Andre Russell for DC – 7 matches, 58 runs and 1 wicket
• Andre Russell for KKR – 133 matches, 2593 runs and 122 wickets

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

• How many players did KKR retain?- 12 (2 foreigners)
• Total expenditure on retained players- Rs 60.70 crore
• Available balance of KKR in IPL 2026 auction- Rs 64.30 crore

KKR’s retained players: Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakraborty.