The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) finally pressed a button many thought they never would, parting ways with Andre Russell after more than a decade of riding his highs and surviving his lows. The IPL 2026 auction on December 16 now has a heavyweight name sitting right at the front, and franchises know they aren’t just bidding for an all-rounder.
They’re bidding for the most destructive death-overs hitter in the league’s history, the man who became the fastest to 200 sixes and the only cricketer apart from Ravindra Jadeja to cross the 2000-run and 100-wicket mark in this tournament.
Even with a quieter 2025 by his standards, Russell’s reputation is massive. Teams understand exactly what he brings the moment he walks in. He can flip a chase in ten balls, he can bowl the overs nobody wants, and he has already dragged KKR to titles in 2014 and 2024 apart from sweeping up individual awards in 2015 and 2019. He will be in demand, almost inevitably, but there are still a few franchises who don’t really need him right now. Below, we see three such teams who should not get involved in the bidding war for Russell.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Andre Russell at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) would be massive and epic. But hang on, the current IPL champions don’t need him at all. While a player like him would hit sixes with ease at M Chinnaswamy Stadium (if RCB plays there next season), there may be no room for him right now.
The simple answer for this is Tim David. He has completely reinvented his game and was one of the major reasons why RCB won the title this year. David was a bargain at Rs 3 crore, scoring 187 runs at an average of 62.33 and at a strike rate of 185.15. RCB also have Romario Shepherd, who is a better bowler at the moment than Russell. So, RCB definitely don’t need the big man at the mini auction.
RCB retained players: Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Krunal Pandya, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Devdutt Padikkal, Nuwan Thushara, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Yash Dayal, Abhinandan Singh, Rasikh Dar
RCB Purse Remaining for IPL 2026 auction: INR 16.4 crore
Mumbai Indians (MI)
The Mumbai Indians (MI) team would be unbeatable if they added Andre Russell to it. Surely the most feared team ever. But with not even Rs 3 crore right now in their kitty, they have no chance of having the Caribbean powerhouse. Also, MI already are stacked as far as their batting goes, with Indian stars gaining all the important slots.
Moreover, with a great trade with Gujarat Titans (GT) of Sherfane Rutherford, MI have their finishing sorted too. With Hardik Pandya, Rutherford and Naman Dhir, MI have options already on the table. They might just look to add one more hitter but with them having the smallest purse, MI need to find a cheap alternative.
MI retained players: Allah Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Santner, Naman Dhir, Raghu Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Robin Minz, Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Will Jacks, Shardul Thakur (traded in from LSG), Mayank Markande (traded in from KKR), Sherfane Rutherford (traded in from GT)
MI Purse Remaining for IPL 2026 auction: INR 2.75 crore
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Currently, Rajasthan Royals (RR) might not have a squad that can win an IPL. But guys, they have enough basis covered that they don’t really need someone like Andre Russell. Had they released Shimron Hetmyer, who is on an Rs 11 crore contract, things would’ve been different. But RR have a stacked middle-order. With Riyan Parag, potential captain Dhruv Jurel, Hetmyer, new additions Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, RR have no space left.
What’s more fascinating is the acquisition of Donovan Ferreira, who can be an underrated finisher for the side. The South African is having a terrific 2025, as he has hammered 721 runs at an outstanding strike rate of 191.75 (only 3 batters have a better SR than him this year in T20s). Also, with RR having Rs 16.05 crore, they really need to invest in their bowling. So put Russell out of the equation for the inaugural champions.
RR retained players: Dhruv Jurel, Jofra Archer, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Nandre Burger, Riyan Parag, Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yudhvir Singh, Ravindra Jadeja (traded in from CSK), Sam Curran (traded in from CSK), Donovan Ferreira (traded from DC).
RR Purse Remaining for IPL 2026 auction: Rs 16.05 crore
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