Veteran West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell recently brought his IPL career to an end and announced his retirement from the tournament after featuring in a total of 13 seasons. He spent 11 seasons with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and won two IPL titles with them. He was one of their most important players for many campaigns, contributing in both the batting and bowling department.
After KKR decided not to retain Russell ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, it was expected that he would be signed by another franchise for a massive fee. However, he shocked everyone by announcing his retirement from the tournament.
Russell explains why he retired
Russell explained why he brought his IPL career to an end and remarked that he wanted to retire at the top of his game so that he can leave a legacy behind. He cited examples of Usain Bolt and AB de Villiers, stating how they too retired from their respective fields while being at the top.
“Take Usain Bolt, for example, or AB de Villiers. When those guys hung up their boots while still at the top of their game, a lot of fans were asking, “why?" When I made this decision, I felt it was the best decision for me at this point. I don’t want to fade out; I want to leave a legacy behind," Russell was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
“I believe it’s best to retire when people still say “why" rather than reaching a stage where they say, “okay, yeah, you should have retired three or four years ago," he added.
Russell set to remain with KKR
Notably, Russell will remain a part of KKR in the upcoming season of the IPL as he has already been announced as their power coach. He wrapped up his IPL career after featuring in a total of 140 matches. He played for only two different franchises in his long career and finished with 2651 runs under his name. He also clinched a total of 123 wickets and is undoubtedly a legend of the tournament.