Andre Russell Retires From IPL; Joins KKR As Power Coach

Andre Russell has announced his retirement from IPL ahead of December mini-auction and will join KKR as power coach.

Andre Russell has announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League ahead of the mini auction. The Kolkata Knight Riders legend will not play for any other team and will instead join the KKR backroom staff as their “Power Coach” for the 2026 season.

The West Indies all-rounder was released by KKR ahead of the December mini-auction after 12 seasons with the franchise. Russell decided to end his playing career in the IPL rather than represent another side.

In a statement, Russell explained his decision to retire, emphasizing his desire to leave on a high note and his loyalty to KKR.

“When I made this decision, I felt like it was the best decision at this point. I don’t want to fade out, I want to leave a legacy behind. It’s best to retire when fans ask “why? You still have some more in you. You still could go for a bit longer.” instead of “yeah, you should have done it years back,” Russell wrote on his social media handle.

He also revealed that the idea of playing for another team was unsettling. “When you are going through social media, you keep seeing yourself photoshopped in jerseys (of other teams). I felt weird to see myself in any colour other than purple & gold and those thoughts kept going through my head, leading me to a few sleepless nights,” said Russell.

Russell’s New Role with the Knight Riders

Russell confirmed his new role with the franchise, a position he felt was perfectly suited for him. “There have been a lot of conversations between me and Mr. Venky Mysore and also Mr. Shah Rukh Khan, about another chapter in my IPL journey. They have shown me love and respect and have appreciate whatever I’ve been doing on the field. To be in a setup that’s familiar, matters to me a lot,” Russell wrote.

Andre Russell played 140 matches in his IPL career, scoring 2651 runs at a staggering strike-rate of 174.18. He also took 123 wickets at an average of 23.28. The majority of his success came with KKR, where he was the Most Valuable Player of the tournament in both 2015 and 2019. For KKR alone, he scored 2593 runs and took 122 wickets.