Mohammad Kaif, a former India international, has alleged that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) new head coach, Abhishek Nayar, was responsible for what he believes was an incorrect choice to release Andre Russell into the IPL auction pool.

Kaif explained that the 'astonishing call' stemmed from Nayar's desire to make the team 'his own.'

KKR paid Russell INR 12 Cr, while the retention spot cost them INR 18 Cr in purse value. He'll be remembered as a KKR icon, with a fantastic IPL career strike rate of 174.18 for 2651 and two titles. However, he will be 38 years old in the IPL 2026 and has played very little competitive cricket.

“Russell’s release is not right. You had him at 12 crore, and that is not a big amount, really, for a player like him. He is a once-in-a-generation player. Yes, he was out of form, but later on he scored runs too. But as coaches change, they bring some changes. I think this was a big call.

You can say he was not at his peak, but I feel this is such a format, especially in the IPL, where experienced players do well, and there are many examples. I feel the straight answer to his release is Abhishek Nayar. He wants to make his own team now. But this was an astonishing call,” Kaif said on his YouTube video.

KKR will now enter the IPL 2026 auction with the most money in their purse, amounting to INR 64.30 Cr.

Kaif admitted that, while Russell's lethal skills may be dwindling, KKR will face a significant difficulty in finding a replacement of the same outstanding calibre and impact. Rumors have stated that KKR has set its eyes on Australia’s Cameron Green, if he enters the auction.

“The quality and power that Russell has, even four players like Cameron Green cannot cover that. The way he plays, he can hit 100m sixes as per will, and he has won so many games from situations where the game seemed lost. He got that respect because of this ability. There are very few players like him at number seven. If you play Green at seven, he cannot score even half the runs of Russell; he bats up the order. I feel they should buy Russell back," added Kaif.