The countdown for IPL 2026 auction has started. Recently all the teams had also announced their retention list, in which many surprising decisions were seen. Kolkata Knight Riders even decided to release many star players from the team, in which the name of explosive all-rounder Andre Russell was also included. Andre Russell played for this player for 11 years and became a great player of IPL. Now he will play the role of ‘power coach’ for this team. But now a big revelation has been made on why Andre Russell was released from the team and why he retired.
Why was Andre Russell released?
Andre Russell’s retirement from IPL proved to be an emotional turning point for Kolkata Knight Riders. This decision was taken due to landing in Oxon with a big purse. KKR CEO Venky Mysore revealed that Russell found this release so heavy that he did not sleep for many nights. Russell’s relationship with KKR goes back to 2014, when he came to this team from Delhi Daredevils. Even after the doping ban in 2017, KKR did not leave him. But considering his age and big salary, KKR decided to move on from him so that they can buy new players in the auction, which will require a big purse. If KKR had retained him, their purse would have reduced by Rs 18 crore, which could have been a big loss in the auction.
Became coach on the request of Shahrukh Khan
When Kolkata Knight Riders told this decision to Andre Russell, he was also excited to enter the auction. But after a few days he changed his mind. KKR CEO Venky Mysore told ESPN Cricinfo, ‘After a few days, Russell understood, he told me that I have spent many nights wondering where all this is going. I’m used to the purple and gold, the Knight Riders and the franchise, the relationships I’ve built with you and the owners. Venky Mysore then told this to KKR owner Shahrukh Khan and he asked him to offer coaching to Andre Russell.
Venky Mysore said, ‘I could see that Russell was very upset about this, and so when I shared this with Shahrukh Khan, it was actually Shahrukh Khan who suggested giving Russell the coaching role. Because, see, a player is thinking somewhere in his mind, what will happen after my retirement? But I don’t think he wants to think about it that much because professional athletes are like that. That is, after this offer from Shahrukh Khan, Andre Russell announced his retirement and joined the coaching staff of KKR. However, he will still continue to play in other leagues around the world.
