3 min readMar 21, 2026 12:57 AM IST
When the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League starts next week, Kolkata Knight Riders will have an Andre Russell-shaped hole in their side, after the West Indian was released by the franchise ahead of the IPL auctions. The all-rounder retired from the IPL after that and has returned to the franchise as the “power coach” for the team.
But who will fill the void left behind by Russell in the KKR franchise?
When this was asked at the pre-IPL press conference, head coach Abhishek Nayar said: “Andre Russell has been a flag bearer for this franchise for many years. What he’s done over the years in T20 cricket, it’s going to be hard to replicate. However, this is a season of opportunities. We have Rinku (Singh) and Ramandeep (Singh) who can step up and do something for the franchise, like they have before.
Nayar continued: “There’s pressure when playing in the IPL but we want our players to be true to their potential and make a name for themselves. There are a lot of young cricketers in our setup, who can cement their name in the franchise’s legacy. Rinku has taken that responsibility for India and KKR, and Ramandeep’s also done it for us in the season when we won the championship. So, we’re hopeful that they can replicate those performances and create something special for this franchise.”
Over his 13 seasons in the IPL, Russell scored 2651 runs in 140 matches at a whopping 174.18 strike rate.
Joining Nayar on the dais were KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane, assistant coach Shane Watson and team mentor Dwayne Bravo.
This season the KKR team will have an eye-watering array of riches in batting, especially since they have the destructive New Zealand opening duo of Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, who demolished the high-flying South African side in the recent T20 World Cup.
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Asked if the team was considering playing both the Kiwi batters at the top of the innings, skipper Rahane said: “The batting group that we have this year is amazing. Most of the batters, including the overseas batters, are coming in with good form and had a very good World Cup as well. We’re excited for the season and we’ll see how our combinations play out.”
