"They had offered Russell for a trade" - Former KKR batter's massive revelation after all-rounder's release ahead of IPL 2026 Auction

Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Aakash Chopra made a huge revelation regarding Andre Russell after the all-rounder was released ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. KKR let go of Russell after retaining him for ₹12 crore last year.

Aakash Chopra revealed that the team had offered to trade Russell to another franchise. However, the deal did not work out. They eventually released the star all-rounder. Russell joined Kolkata in 2014 and was an integral part of their set-up for a long time.

"Abhishek Nayar went to KKR and told he will change everything there. However, he has maintained quite a few things still, including captain Ajinkya Rahane. But they left Russell after 12 years. TKR also won the CPL but they still let Russell go which means they have made up their mind. They had also offered Russell for a trade, I know the team, but I will not tell which team, but it was denied and he was always in the release category," he said on his YouTube channel.

Russell was not at his very best last year. He scored 167 runs from 10 innings and picked up just eight wickets.

Talking about the Gujarat Titans (GT), the former KKR batter reckoned that all-rounder Washington Sundar would have a bigger role with Sherfane Rutherford being traded to the Mumbai Indians (MI).

"As GT left Rutherford, there could be a bigger role for Washington Sundar. We could see him playing at number four. He could be that guy. There are not many changes apart from that as they are a team who do not make many changes."

Last year, Sundar featured in six matches for GT and impressed with the bat. He scored 133 runs from five innings at a strike-rate of 166.25.

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Former KKR batters' take on LSG and DC

In the same video, Aakash Chopra also reflected on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) releasing spinner Ravi Bishnoi and retaining pacer Mayank Yadav. Mayank played just two matches last year and was ruled out due to injury. He is yet to regain complete fitness.

The former KKR batter reckoned that LSG bowling coach Bharat Arun would have influenced the decision to retain the pacer.

"LSG would have had a big dilemma as Ravi Bishnoi and Mayank were there in the same price. They were looking for an upgrade and I feel Bharat Arun would have played a big role in Mayank being retained and Ravi being released. But I still feel they will have to look for a spinner. They will need an overseas pacer as well. It is a made-in-India bowling attack but there have been releases too," he said.

Further, Delhi Capitals (DC) traded in Nitish Rana from the Rajasthan Royals (RR). Chopra reflected that it was a solid move by DC to strengthen their batting core. Meanwhile, he also hinted at possible issues within the RR camp, as Sanju Samson was also traded to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

"DC made a smart move by taking Nitish Rana. I feel what are RR doing by leaving Sanju and Rana, but somebody told me all is not well in that nest. I think they do need a top order batter but Nitish Rana is a very good acquisition. They have a good middle-order core now."

In the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025, Nitish Rana captained the West Delhi Lions to victory. He impressed with the bat, scoring 393 runs in 11 matches at an average of 65.60 and a strike-rate of 181.94. Rana struck a match-winning 79 in the final.