"Andre Russell at ₹12 crore, they could have still held on" - Former India captain's huge statement on KKR heading into IPL 2026 auction

Former India captain Anil Kumble has opined that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) should have retained Andre Russell heading into the IPL 2026 auction. He highlighted that the three-time IPL champions would have gone into the auction with the maximum remaining purse among all franchises even if they had retained the Jamaican all-rounder.

Russell was among nine players released by KKR ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. They also traded Mayank Markande to the Mumbai Indians (MI) for his existing price of ₹30 lakh.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Kumble was asked about his thoughts on KKR releasing Russell ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.

"I think a good and a bad call. Andre Russell wasn't the same over the last couple of seasons for KKR, the way he started off, but at the same time, if you look back at all the releases that they have made and the kind of money that they are going to go with into the auction, I don't think it's a good call in that sense," the former India spinner responded.

"Andre Russell at ₹12 crore, they could have still held on, because he is someone who can certainly win you matches on his day, even now. You could have backed him up with somebody from the auction, now that there are a few releases in Glenn Maxwell and Liam Livingstone. You could have retained Russell and still gone into the auction with the maximum purse," he added.

Andre Russell scored 167 runs at a strike rate of 163.72 in 10 innings in IPL 2025. He picked up eight wickets at an economy rate of 11.94 in the 18.1 overs he bowled in this year's edition of the prestigious league.

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"There is a strong possibility that KKR may buy him back" - Saba Karim on Andre Russell ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Andre Russell averaged only 18.56 with the bat in IPL 2025. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, former India wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim opined that the Kolkata Knight Riders might buy back Andre Russell at the IPL 2026 auction.

"There is a strong possibility that KKR may buy him back. There is a strong possibility that he may not go for that much money. This is a trademark Abhishek Nayar move. He always wants to start on a fresh note. He has retained only such players who he feels can be part of the winning combination, who can be regular in their XI," he said.

The former India selector reckoned that Abhishek Nayar, KKR's new head coach, and the team management feel Russell is not as valuable as he was earlier.

"The rest he wants to buy in the auction. He will make his combination according to that. I have always seen Abhishek Nayar work in this kind of manner. The KKR management feels at this stage that maybe Russell has exhausted his utility, the kind of value KKR have put on Russell for a number of years," Saba observed.

Anil Kumble didn't concur with Saba Karim's views, highlighting that KKR define a player's value with what they bring to the table and not from a monetary perspective. The former India head coach added that he would be surprised if Abhishek Nayar looks to buy back Andre Russell, although he might repurchase Venkatesh Iyer.