Key Points:
West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell retired from IPL after playing 13 seasons. He played 11 seasons for KKR and won two titles. Russell said that he retired while at the top and will now be associated with the team as the power coach of KKR.
Delhi: West Indies’ legendary all-rounder Andre Russell has recently ended his IPL career. He retired from this tournament after playing a total of 13 seasons. Russell played 11 seasons for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and won two IPL titles for the team. He was the most important player of the team for many seasons and contributed in both batting and bowling.
KKR did not retain him before the IPL 2026 auction. After this it was expected that some other franchise would buy him for a huge amount. But, Russell surprised everyone and announced his retirement from IPL.
Why did Russell decide to retire from IPL?
Russell said that he decided to end his IPL career because he wanted to retire while still at the top and leave his mark. He gave examples like Usain Bolt and AB de Villiers retired while being at the top of their respective sports.
Russell said, “Like Usain Bolt or AB de Villiers retired while at the top. People used to ask, ‘Why?’ When I took this decision, I felt that this was the right time for me. I don’t want to die slowly. “I want to leave a good memory.”
He further said, “I believe that it is right to retire when people ask ‘why’, not when people say that you should have retired 3-4 years ago.”
Will stay connected with KKR
Russell will remain a part of KKR and will play the role of power coach of the team in the upcoming season. He played a total of 140 matches in his IPL career. He played for only two franchises in his career and scored 2651 runs. Apart from this he also took 123 wickets.
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