IPL 2026: Kolkata Knight Riders retires jersey number 12 to honour Andre Russell
Kolkata Knight Riders have officially retired jersey number 12 in honour of their former star all-rounder Andre Russell during their nights unplugged pre-season event ahead of the beginning of the IPL 2026.
Russell made his IPL debut in 2012 for the Delhi Capitals. After playing 2 years for DC, Russell was picked by KKR in the IPL Auction 2014 for 60 Lakh INR. He played for KKR in 11 seasons. For KKR, he scored 2593 runs in 111 innings of 133 matches, including 12 half-centuries.
Thanks to him, KKR have won many matches. He was a member of KKR’s 2014 & 2024 title victories. With the ball, he also has 122 wickets for KKR.
Andre Russell IPL stats
Batting
Bowling
| Matches | Innings | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 140 | 121 | 1806 | 2863 | 123 | 5/15 | 5/15 | 23.27 | 9.51 | 14.6 | 1 |
He didn’t contribute so much during the 2014 victory, but he played an important role in the 2024 title victory, where he scored 222 runs and took 19 wickets.
KKR CEO Venky Mysore announced during the event that the Kolkata Knight Riders retired jersey number 12. Russell has now become KKR’s power coach.
“I got a bit emotional watching that video. It's been over a decade of amazing achievements, having been part of two title-winning teams. To see what it meant to everyone... that's a different enjoyment. World Cups feel special. When you win the IPL, it's something different. The last one we won, I got teary-eyed. When you have left everything on the field, you don't regret walking away from the game. Every game I played, I played like it was the last game of my IPL career,” Russell said.
After Andre Russell’s exit from the game, KKR will have to find a perfect replacement. They acquired Cameron Green for 25.2 crore INR in the auction as they hope he can replicate Russell’s brilliance. KKR will start their IPL 2026 campaign against the Mumbai Indians on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
