Andre Russell Explains Real Reason Behind Retirement From IPL, Not Other Leagues

Former West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has opened up on his decision to retire from the Indian Premier League (IPL). Russell, who was released by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction, shed light on his surprising announcement while highlighting the demands of playing in the world's biggest T20 league. The 37-year-old also opened up on the challenges of playing as an all-rounder for the entire season. Russell has joined KKR's backroom staff as a power coach, and will continue playing in the other franchise leagues.

"Definitely. It is based on the number of games and the travel. You have to make sure that you recover as well as possible to stay fresh and manage your body, manage practice sessions and your workload in the gym. You definitely need to practise, you need to hit the gym, but also make sure not to do too much. With a big league like the IPL, it's always challenging for me as an all-rounder. And I can only speak on behalf of myself, because to bat, bowl and then make sure that you do some catching and fielding stuff - it's always challenging. I just think this league is so big that you always want to make sure that your best performance is always at hand," Russell told Cricbuzz in an interview.

He also added that the thought of playing as a pure batter never crossed his mind, as both skills complement each other.

"I have never thought about that, because I think my batting complements my bowling and my bowling complements my batting. I always look forward to bowling at least two overs in a game. I think if I'm bowling well, then my batting will automatically flow and that's very important for me. If I was just a batter from the beginning of my career, then I would maybe think along those lines in terms of my career and everything, but I couldn't see myself playing as just an impact player or batting only and smashing sixes. I have to be fair to what I enjoy doing, which is batting and bowling both," he added.

An all-rounder known for his brute force with the bat and a knack of taking wickets at key junctures, Russell played a total of 140 matches in the IPL and scored 2,651 runs at a strike rate of 174.18 with 12 fifties.

He also took 123 wickets at an economy rate of 9.51 with one five-wicket haul in his name.

Russell called time on his IPL playing career a day after Faf du Plessis, 41, announced that he would not take part in this year's edition as he will play in another league.

(With PTI Inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

Kolkata Knight Riders West Indies Cricket Team Andre Russell IPL 2026 Cricket