Andre Russell was not retained by KKR before the IPL 2026 auction.
Russell was let go by KKR before the December 16 IPL 2026 auction after 12 seasons with the team. While many expected Kolkata to buy him back or another franchise to step in, Russell surprised fans by confirming his retirement from the IPL on social media.
Russell spoke candidly about his surprise calls, emphasizing the physical and mental responsibilities of competing in the IPL. He confessed that maintaining peak performance as an all-rounder for a full season had become difficult, which contributed to his decision to withdraw from the IPL.
“I could see he (Russell) was agonizing over it, and so when I shared this with SRK, it was SRK’s suggestion. Because, see, a player is thinking somewhere at the back of his mind, what happens after I hang up my boots?
But I don’t think they want to think about it so much because professional athletes are like that. They believe I am still good, and Dre still is; he is fantastic and playing other leagues,” Mysore said while speaking to ESPNCricinfo.
The KKR CEO said that after making the decision, Russell looked very free in mind and had accepted it.
“It just felt like he was very free in his mind after making the retirement decision. Because the guy took a couple of catches and is sliding and diving and throwing. I sent him a note later, saying, “What’s going on here, Dre? How are you doing, power coach?
Everybody has started calling him a power coach, and I think he loves it. We are very happy. I think he is very happy. He has completely accepted it, come to terms with it," Mysore added.
In 133 appearances for KKR over the years, Russell scored 2593 runs with 12 fifties and scored at a strike rate of 174.96, hitting 220 sixes along the way. With the ball, he picked up 122 wickets, including three four-wicket hauls, and took 40 catches.