The decision by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release West Indies star all-rounder Andre Russell on the IPL 2026 retention deadline day turned heads, which left many wondering as to why the Caribbean superstar was let loose. Russell was the backbone of three-time champions for more than 11 years. During his tenure, his all-round contribution has been immense, tallying over 2,600 runs and securing 122 wickets for the franchise.
Andre Russell's exit leaves big hole in KKR
Russell's formidable and often devastating impact has been vital to the KKR setup over the years. However, former India star Mohammed Kaif suggested a major factor behind the sudden release, which he thinks due to the recent appointment of Abhishek Nayar as head coach. Kaif believes the situation may have shifted with this change in leadership.
Abhishek Nayar is behind Russell's release from KKR, feels Kaif
Kaif stated that Nayar is the direct reason for Russell's release, insisting that the former India assistant coach is keen on molding a new side composed of players he prefers. He expressed this view on his YouTube channel, calling the decision an astonishing call" and questioning the rationale of letting go of a once-in-a-generation player like Russell.
“Russell’s release is not right. You had him at 12 crore and that is not a big amount really for a player like him. He is once in a generation player. Yes he was out of form but later on he scored runs too. But as coaches change, they bring some changes. I think this was a big call," Kaif said on his Youtube channel.
“You can say he was not at his peak but I feel this is such a format, specially in the IPL, where experienced players do well and there are many examples. I feel the straight answer to his release is Abhishek Nayar. He wants to make his own team now. But this was an astonishing call,” he added.
Kaif admitted that although Russell's devastating powers may be waning, KKR will face a massive challenge in attempting to find a replacement player of the same extraordinary calibre and impact.
Following Russell's high-profile release, speculations are rife that KKR might target Australian all-rounder Cameron Green as his replacement in the IPL 2026 auction.
“The quality and power that Russell has, even four players like Cameron Green cannot cover that. The way he plays, he can hit 100m sixes as per will and he has won them so many games from situations where the game seemed lost. He got that respect because of this ability. There are very few players like him at number seven. If you play Green at seven, he cannot score even half the runs of Russell, he bats up the order. I feel they should buy Russell back,” Kaif concluded.
KKR's released players
Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Luvnith Sisodia, Moeen Ali, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Spencer Johnson, Venkatesh Iyer, Mayank Markande (traded to Mumbai Indians).
KKR's retained players
Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Charkravarthy
Purse remaining: Rs. 64.30 crore
Slots left: 13 (6 overseas)