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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)'s decision to release long-serving all-rounder Andre Russell ahead of the IPL 2026 auction came as a shock to many. Russell was one of the players retained by KKR ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction last year, however, the star all-rounder was let go by the franchise after just one season.
Since being released by KKR, Russell has already announced his retirement from the IPL and has been appointed as the franchise's power coach for next season. It has now come to light that KKR's decision to release Russell was hugely influenced by Chennai Super Kings (CSK)'s retention strategy ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.
As per a report in Cricbuzz, KKR were initially uncertain about releasing Russell, however, they were forced to 'revise their plans' after learning about CSK's decision to release Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana. As word spread through social media about CSK releasing Pathirana, KKR decided to free up more funds in their remaining purse by releasing Russell.
KKR knew releasing Pathirana would allow CSK to enter the auction with a purse of over Rs 40 crore (the exact figure of Rs 43.40 crore was confirmed later), which would have been close to their purse of Rs 46.30 crore if they didn't release Russell. KKR thus released Russell to push their budget to a staggering Rs 64.30 crore for the IPL 2026 mini auction.
The three-time champions knew that heading into the auction with a huge budget would allow them to go for their targets and pick top players like Cameron Green and England batter Jamie Smith, among others, depending on their plans.
Another reason behind KKR releasing Russell was the fact that his release would earn the franchise a sum of Rs 18 crore, instead of the Rs 12 crore that they were paying the all-rounder. Since Russell was one of KKR's top retentions last year, Rs 18 crore was deducted from their purse, even if they settled on a salary of Rs 12 crore with the all-rounder.
Russell announced his retirement from the IPL on Sunday, which was the deadline for player registration for the upcoming IPL 2026 mini auction. The former West Indies all-rounder claimed in his post that he felt uncomfortable seeing his fan-made edits wearing jerseys of other teams, while pledging his loyalty to KKR.
However, as per Cricbuzz, Russell would have entered his name for the auction if he wasn't guaranteed the power coach role by KKR, which was seen as a future-proof pact by the all-rounder. Russell wanted clarity regarding his future from the franchise before the deadline for registration expired.
Russell joined KKR in 2014 and played for the franchise for 12 seasons in the IPL. He was one of the key figures in the KKR setup, having been retained by the franchise ahead of the mega auctions in 2018, 2022 and 2025.
