Cricket - Indian Premier League - IPL - Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings - Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India - May 7, 2025 Kolkata Knight Riders' Andre Russell in action. REUTERS/Abhijit Addya
Nov 30 (Reuters) - Former West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell on Sunday announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) saying he will be joining the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as 'Power Coach' from next season.
The 37-year-old had been with the IPL franchise as a player since the 2014 season and has lifted the trophy twice. He was also named as the Most Valuable Player in the 2019 season.
In 139 IPL games in his career, Russell has scored 2,651 runs at a strike rate of 174.18 and has picked 123 wickets, being only the second player along with Ravindra Jadeja to have scored over 2,000 runs and taken over 100 wickets in the tournament.
But while he will continue to play across different leagues, Russell, who also announced international retirement in July,said he is excited to start a new IPL chapter in KKR's coaching department.
"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," Russell said in a video shared on the social media.
"To be in a setup that's familiar, matters to me a lot.
"When I heard that name - ‘Power Coach’, I felt that describes Andre Russell the best."
Russell was released by KKR this year ahead of the 2026 IPL auctions which will take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi.
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Michael Perry)
