Andre Russell Bids Farewell to IPL, Takes Up New Role as KKR’s Power Coach

The explosive West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell has announced his retirement from the IPL. He will now join the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) coaching panel as a Power Coach. The management has assigned him this role specifically because of his renowned expertise in power-hitting. Russell will work alongside the new head coach, Abhishek Nayar, and other officials to help elevate KKR in the upcoming IPL season.

Russell announced his retirement in a video message released on social media. He said that the IPL has been a big part of his career, therefore, bidding farewell to the league was never an easy decision. The all-rounder also confirmed that he will continue to participate in other leagues around the world despite hanging up his boots in the IPL.

"I've made a decision to retire from the IPL. I'll still be active playing in various leagues all around the world and all the other KKR franchises. I had some amazing time and great memories. hitting sixes, winning games, MVP and all of those things. But sometimes you just have to know when to hang up the boots.” said Andre Russell.

“When I made this decision, I just felt like 'yes, this is the best decision'. I don't want to fade out. I want to leave a legacy and it's best to retire when fans ask 'why, you still have some more in you, you still could go for a bit longer' than say, 'yeah, you should have done it years back'.” added Andre Russell.

He further said that before making the decision, he had brief conversations with the KKR team owners. After considering various factors and the franchise’s future plans, he decided to start a new chapter with KKR in the role of Power Coach.

“There have been a lot of conversations, between me and Mr Venky Mysore, and also Mr Shah Rukh Khan, about another chapter in my IPL journey, and they have shown me respect and love and they appreciate whatever I have been doing in the field and to be in a set-up where I'm familiar, that matters to me a lot." concluded Andre Russell.