Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is around the corner. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) hosted the Knights Unplugged 3.0 event in Kolkata, where they formally introduced the entire KKR team and coaching staff to the fans and announced the captain as Ajinkya Rahane and vice-captain Rinku Singh for the upcoming edition of the IPL.
The KKR management also congratulated former Knight Andre Russell, who retired from the IPL after being released by the management during the mini-auction last year. Russell was a part of KKR since 2014 and has won two trophies with the franchise. He has been added as the power coach of KKR for the upcoming season.
KKR has retired Andre Russell’s number 12 jersey.
The Purple and Gold team has now honored Andre Russell as they have retired the number 12 jersey to honor the legacy of the West Indies all-rounder. The newly appointed power coach reached Kolkata late at night and attended the programme.
Andre Russell has been a part of the KKR family for almost 12 years. He won the IPL in his first season with the franchise and later in 2024. The Caribbean powerhouse has been a match-winner for the team over the years and won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award twice in 2015 and 2019 for his exceptional all-round performances.
The 37-year-old played 133 matches for KKR and scored 2651 runs at a strike rate of 174.18. Russell has proved his usefulness to the franchise every time in the past with strong batting and bowling performances. However, with age, he failed to perform as well as he did in the previous season, scoring only 167 runs and his average also fell to 18.56.
We would like to retire this number – Venky Mysore
“In your honour, we would like to retire this number for KKR,” announced KKR CEO Venky Mysore, an announcement that ensures that no other Knight will ever wear the number that Russell has made a symbol of fear for bowlers around the world.
KKR retiring number 12 jersey for Andre Russell
– Standing ovation for the iconic moment. pic.twitter.com/50Otzi2y1c
– Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) 24 March 2026
During the programme, a video of his decade-long journey with the franchise was played and he became emotional after watching the video. “I got a little emotional watching that video,” Russell admitted to the cheering crowd.
I played like it was the last game – Andre Russell
“It’s been over a decade full of amazing achievements, being part of two title-winning teams. To see what it means to everyone… it’s a different joy. The World Cup feels special. When you win the IPL, it’s something different. The last time we won, I had tears in my eyes.”
“When you leave everything on the field, you don’t regret walking away from the game. Every game I played, I played as if it was the last game of my IPL career,” he said.
Andre Russell said, “I don’t regret being in this role. I’m excited.” “We have one of the youngest and very talented coaching staffs. I would love to be a part of a coaching staff like this. It makes my job easier. I hope whatever knowledge I bring can make their job easier.”
Also read: Before IPL 2026, RCB got a new buyer, they were sold…
