Andre Russell calls time on his IPL career

In a surprise move ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, Andre Russell has announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League. The 37-year-old West Indian all-rounder, recently released by Kolkata Knight Riders, revealed via an Instagram post that he will not sign with another franchise and instead join KKR's support staff for the 2026 season as their "power coach."

"I had some amazing times and great memories in the IPL, hitting sixes, winning games, getting MVPs," Russell said.

"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's credentials in the league are formidable. In a 12-season IPL career, he played 140 matches, scoring 2651 runs at a strike rate of 174.18 and took 123 wickets at an economy of 9.51 with best bowling figures of 5 for 15.

Russell made his IPL debut in 2012 for Delhi Daredevils before he was signed by KKR in the 2014 auction. He went on to play 133 of his IPL games for KKR, winning two titles in 2014 and 2024. He won the IPL MVP award twice, in 2015 and 2019.

His brutal lower-order hitting made him one of the most feared finishers in IPL history. At the time of his retirement, he has 223 IPL sixes, putting him seventh on the all-time list behind Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, AB de Villiers, and David Warner.

However, recent seasons saw a noticeable dip. In IPL 2025, he managed only 167 runs with the bat and grabbed eight wickets at an economy of 11.94, raising questions about his fitness and form. That decline likely influenced KKR's decision to release him, freeing up INR 12 crore for the upcoming auction.

"When you are going through social media, you keep seeing yourself photoshopped in different 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," Russell said.

"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 appreciated whatever I've been doing on the field. To be in a setup that's familiar, matters to me a lot," he added.

Still, Russell is not hanging up his playing boots entirely. He plans to continue playing other franchise leagues around the world.