Andre Russell announces retirement from IPL and joins KKR support staff

West Indian cricketer, Andre Russell has been a KKR legend since he joined the IPL franchise in 2014. He went on to win two titles with the Kolkata team, in his first year 2014 and then in 2024.

On Sunday, November 30, the cricketer announced his retirement from the IPL. However, he is not saying goodbye to KKR just yet. He will remain a part of the franchise as a member of the support staff and will become the new power coach for the team in the 2026 season.

Andre Russell will be KKR's new power coach in the upcoming season

Andre Russell spent 12 seasons as an all-round player at KKR and has now retired from the franchise just before the auction in December. He will now be a power coach for KKR next season, thus remaining a part of the support staff.

Andre released a statement announcing his retirement saying that he wanted to leave on a high note and did not want to play for any other franchise in the IPL.

In a video message shared on Instagram, the cricketer said, "Hi KKR fans. Dre Russ here. Just want to give you guys the big news. I've made a decision to retire from the IPL. I will still be active playing in various leagues all around the world. And for all the other KKR franchises".

Reminiscing about the time he spent as a player at KKR, Andre shared, "I had some amazing times and great memories, hitting sixes, winning games, getting MVPs...When I made this decision, I felt like yes 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' than 'yeah, you should have done it years back'".

The cricketer also said that he came across photoshopped images of himself in jerseys of other teams, and he "felt weird" to see himself "in any colour other than purple & gold and".

Talking about the journey ahead he added, "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 respect and love and they appreciate whatever I've been doing on the field. To be in a setup that's familiar, matters to me a lot. So Kolkata, I'll be back. I'm here now just to say that I'll be a part of the KKR Support Staff".

Andre said that when he heard he will be Power Coach, he thought that is exactly what defines Andre Russell.

So, in the cricketer is "hanging up [his] IPL boots… but not the swagger".

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