"Him not being in KKR came as a massive surprise" - Irfan Pathan questions star player’s release ahead of IPL 2026 Auction

Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan questioned the release of star all-rounder Andre Russell ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) let go of the veteran all-rounder after having retained him for ₹12 crore for the 2025 season.

While Russell could not perform as expected, Irfan Pathan believed that his release was a surprising move. He stated that the all-rounder could have been backed, given that he has been a match-winner for the franchise over the years.

"There were many big names released who were shocking for me. The biggest was Andre Russell. Him not being in KKR came as a massive surprise. He has been a match-winner. There were injury concerns and the form was not there last year but he has won you so many games over the years. If you feel he cannot be available for 14 games then it is a different thing but I feel he could definitely have been backed. KKR have backed him for many years but here they haven't. It will be little difficult to find a player of his skill," he said on his YouTube channel.

In 133 IPL games for KKR, Russell scored 2593 runs at a strike-rate of 174.97, along with 122 wickets. When they won the title in 2024, he scored 222 runs and picked up 19 wickets.

Another big release came from five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the form of Matheesha Pathirana. Irfan Pathan reckoned that the move did not make sense to him unless they had other plans in mind. Although Pathirana struggled last season, picking up 13 wickets at an economy of 10.13, he has been a consistent performer for CSK.

"Matheesha Pathirana brings that skill which is difficult to find, bowling yorkers with that slingy action. If they are thinking to buy him back for cheaper, I don't understand it. It only makes sense if they are looking at someone else and have moved past him," he added.

When CSK won the trophy in 2023, Pathirana picked up 19 wickets from 12 matches, playing a key role with the ball.

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Irfan Pathan feels LSG releasing star South African batter was a surprising move

In the same video, Irfan Pathan also opined on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) releasing star South African batter David Miller. Miller did not have a great season last year. He scored 153 runs from 11 matches at a strike-rate of 127.50.

However, the former cricketer highlighted that LSG lacked experience in the lower middle order. They have the likes of Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, and Rishabh Pant at the top, he expressed that the team would miss Miller's experience down the order.

"David Miller brings that finishing skill as a left-hander. This is a bit surprising for me as there is some inexperience in the middle lower order for LSG. They have great players at the top but in the lower order you need experience. David Miller not being there is a big miss," he said.

Talking further about the releases, Irfan Pathan reckoned that five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) could have persisted with young Vignesh Puthur. However, he believed that MI would once again sign an uncapped player at the auction.

"MI have not released anyone who was a part of the 11. Vignesh Puthur was backed and given some chances as well, like they always give the platform to young players. They could have persisted with him. Even with a low purse, they will pick some uncapped player in the auction and will surprise everyone."

MI released Arjun Tendulkar (traded out), Bevon Jacobs, Karn Sharma, Lizaad Williams, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Reece Topley, Krishnan Shrijith, Satyanarayana Raju, and Vignesh Puthur.