Who said what - top 5 expert reactions on KKR releasing Andre Russell ahead of IPL 2026 Auction ft. Mohammad Kaif

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) made a massive move by releasing star all-rounder Andre Russell ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The decision surprised many and came as a shock.

Andre Russell was retained by KKR for ₹12 crore for the 2025 season. He could not deliver as expected. The all-rounder scored 167 runs in 10 innings at an average of 18.55 and a strike-rate of 163.72. With the ball, he bagged eight wickets from nine matches at an economy of 11.94.

Given that his performances did not match the expectations, KKR decided to move on from Andre Russell. He joined the team in 2014 and won two titles with them. Overall, in the IPL, the all-rounder has scored 2651 runs from 140 matches along with 123 wickets.

Following his release, several former cricketers reacted to the big move by KKR.

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Who said what - top 5 expert reactions on KKR releasing Andre Russell ahead of IPL 2026 Auction

#5 Ravichandran Ashwin

Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin was in disbelief, stating that he did not expect KKR to release Andre Russell. The all-rounder was with the team for 12 long years and was an integral part of their set-up. While he did expect KKR to enter the auction with big money, he did not see Russell's release coming.

"I never expected KKR to release Andre Russell. I thought KKR would come in with 45 crores at least. They are set to go into the auction with all of their briefcases. If there is bid on any player, you can look in their direction. 64 crores going into a mini auction. It is not like KKR have let everyone go, they still have a reasonable XI," he said on his YouTube channel.

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#4 Irfan Pathan

Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan was also surprised at Andre Russell being released by KKR. While he acknowledged that there were injury concerns and the form had dipped a bit last year, he reflected that Russell had been a match-winner for them for several seasons. He reckoned that the franchise could have backed him, as it would be difficult to find someone who could match his skills.

"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.

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#3 Aakash Chopra

Former batter Aakash Chopra made a massive revelation regarding Andre Russell's release. He reckoned that KKR had made up their mind to let go of the all-rounder and even claimed that they wanted to trade him off to another team. While he did not name the team, he added that the deal did not work out, and hence, Russell was on their release list.

"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.

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#2 Sanjay Bangar

Former cricketer and Team India batting coach Sanjay Bangar was not surprised by KKR releasing Andre Russell. He stated that there were signs of this happening as the team underutilised him with both bat and ball last season. Bangar pointed out that Russell was not completing his quota of four overs in many games and also batted lower down the order.

"The signs were there. KKR were probably not utilising the services of Russell, the batter because most times he batted lower down the order. Also, his usage as the bowler - because he hardly bowled his entire quota of four overs in many of the matches he played in the last season. So, there were signs that maybe Russell will have to ply his trade for another franchise," he said on ESPN Cricinfo.

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#1 Mohammad Kaif

Former batter Mohammad Kaif reckoned that KKR's move to release Andre Russell was not right. He expressed that ₹12 crore for a player of his calibre was not a lot of money. Kaif called Russell a 'once in a generation player' and stated that it was not the right decision by the franchise. While the all-rounder may not have been at his very best, Kaif highlighted that it was important to have experienced players like him in the side.

"Russell's release is not right. You had him at 12 crore and that is not a big amount really for a player like him. He is once in a generation player. Yes he was out of form but later on he scored runs too. But as coaches change, they bring some changes. I think this was a big call. You can say he was not at his peak but I feel this is such a format, specially in the IPL, where experienced players do well and there are many examples," he said on his YouTube channel.

"The way he plays, he can hit 100m sixes as per will and he has won them so many games from situations where the game seemed lost. He got that respect because of this ability. There are very few players like him at number seven," he added.

It now remains to be seen which franchise will go after Russell or whether KKR will look to buy him back at a lower price.