Here's why KKR should let Andre Russell go in a trade deal before IPL 2026 auction

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 trade window is on. You’d see rumours go left, right, and centre, at least until a deal finally takes place. The biggest one has been, of course, Sanju Samson to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, this article isn’t about Samson or the Yellow Army. Instead, we focus on Andre Russell, who dropped a bombshell earlier today.

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) superstar announced his retirement from international cricket. Russell, who has 84 T20I appearances for the West Indies, stated that he is going to hang up his boots right after the first two T20Is against Australia. He will no longer play for the Caribbean unit. However, his ever-long presence in T20 leagues will continue, including in the IPL.

Andre Russell’s dwindling form for KKR

Worry not, KKR fans, he isn’t going to retire from IPL as well. Having said that, do KKR really need him going forward? Back in 2014, KKR brought in Russell, who had just 11% of the total T20 runs he has now back then. KKR paid just Rs 60 lac and got a tormentor.

Although he didn’t get enough chances in the tournament-winning season, Russell took the IPL by storm in the following seasons. From IPL 2015 to 2019, Russell was in his prime. He bludgeoned everyone, and the game wasn’t over when he was out there. In that period, Russell had the best strike rate (190.61) among all batters, scoring 1,340 at an average of 37.22. Not to forget, Russell is also the leading wicket-taking pacer for KKR in IPL history, having mustered 122 wickets at a superb bowling average of 21.59.

Fast forward now, and Russell is a shadow of himself. Yes, he might play one blinder of a cameo, and those impactful innings are now few and far between. Take IPL 2025 as an example. In the entire tournament, Russell came to bat 10 times but managed just 167 runs and had a mere average of 18.56, his career-worst (in a season with 150+ runs).

IPL 2025 wasn’t the only tournament where he underperformed. Even at the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025, Russell averaged just 25.20 with the bat and had a strike rate of 144.83.

KKR should look to offload Russell

At 37 and with a history of injuries, Russell is surely in the twilight of his career. Just before IPL 2025, KKR continued their faith in him by retaining the Caribbean T20 legend for Rs 12 crore, the joint second-highest in the category. However, with a number eight finish on the IPL 2025 points table, KKR failed as a unit. Part of the reason was Russell as well, who had a horrible campaign.

Now, with the trade window going on, it might be a prudent decision to offload the star. Surely, it would be a hard and emotional decision. After all, Russell has been associated with the Knight Riders for more than a decade. Not just in IPL, but Russell represents three more Knight Riders franchises, namely in MLC, CPL, and ILT20. Hence, he might just retire at KKR.

But as far as cricketing astuteness is concerned, Russell’s exit could pave the way for a revamp in the KKR setup. As part of a trade deal, KKR can solve other glaring problems. They desperately need an aggressive opener, an Indian wicket-keeper and a gun overseas fast bowler. Russell’s 12 crore valuation can help KKR bring in an excellent player. An all-cash deal will also boost the budget of the franchise.

Russell’s IPL form for KKR

Year	Mat	50s	6s	HS	Runs	Avg	S/R
2020	10	0	9	25	117	13.00	144.44
2021	10	1	14	54	183	26.14	152.50
2022	14	1	32	70*	335	37.22	174.48
2023	14	0	18	42	227	20.64	145.51
2024	15	1	16	64*	222	31.71	185.00
2025	13	1	14	57*	167	18.56	163.73
Overall	140	12	223	88*	2651	28.20	174.18