Kamal Ghorui
KOLKATA: In a unique gesture, the Kolkata Knight Riders retired their jersey No. 12 which used to be worn by Andre Russell. The West Indies cricketer announced his retirement from the IPL last November after playing for KKR for 11 seasons. Although Russell made his IPL debut playing for Delhi Daredevils in 2012 and 2013, he made a mark in the tournament playing for KKR from 2014 to 2025, except for missing the 2017 season.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The Jamaican played 140 matches in the IPL, of which 133 came for KKR, scoring 2,651 runs at a strike rate of 174.18. He also took 123 wickets during his KKR playing days. He was part of KKR’s IPL title-winning sides in 2014 and 2024 along with the Champions League T20 side in 2014-15.The allrounder turned emotional while watching a tribute video. “It has been over a decade of amazing achievements with this franchise and I got a bit emotional watching the video. To be a part of two championship-winning teams and to see what it means to everyone, that’s an amazing feeling. When you win a World Cup, that feels special, but when you win the IPL, it’s something different. I just want to say thanks to this franchise for making this journey so special for me,” he stated.Russell’s journey with KKR will continue as he has joined the coaching staff as ‘power coach’ for the upcoming season.
