One of the most attacking players of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who has been a vital member of the franchise in the past seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Andre Russell has dropped a massive statement ahead of the 2026 season of the league as he has decided to announce his retirement from the event. He becomes the second player in less than 24 hours after Faf du Plessis to make the decision. 

Russell has ended up as the second leading run-getter of the KKR franchise with the help of 2658 runs in 115 innings at an average of 28.20 and a strike rate of 174.17 with the help of 12 half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 88 runs. He announced the decision of his IPL retirement on his Instagram account.

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“Hanging up my IPL boots… but not the swagger. What a ride it’s been in the IPL — 12 seasons of memories, and a whole lot of love from the KKR family. I’ll still be smashing sixes and taking wickets in every other league around the world. And the best part? I’m not leaving home. You’ll see.” Russell wrote in a note.

Andre Russell retires from IPL to start new role for KKR ahead of IPL 2026 

In the previous season of the tournament, the all-rounder smashed 167 runs in 10 innings at an average of 18.55 and a strike rate of 163.72, with just one half-century coming off his bat. His best seasons with the franchise came in 2022, 2018, and 2015, when he crossed the 300-run mark in an edition at a strike rate of 170.

Apart from his batting, Russell has also picked up 123 wickets in 121 innings at an average of around 23 and a strike rate of 14.6 with an economy rate of under 10. His best season with the bat was in 2024 when they became the champions for the third time, and Russell grabbed 19 wickets in 14 innings. 

Russell, in his new role of power coach, will look after the new stars of the franchise and teach them the art of smashing the big shots from the very first ball, especially in the death overs.