Shah Rukh Khan’s KKR pay emotional tribute to THIS IPL legend, they have decided to..

Kolkata Knight Riders paid an emotional tribute to former explosive batter, during Knights Unplugged event ahead of their IPL 2026 opener against Mumbai Indians.

KKR, Kolkata Knight Riders, Andre Russell, Abhishek Nayar, Ajinkya Rahane, Shane Watson, Venky Mysore, KKR retires jersey no.12, KKR honours Andre Russell, Andre Russell power coach, Rinku Singh — Shah Rukh Khan’s KKR pay emotional tribute to THIS IPL legend (Source: IANS)

IPL 2026: Kolkata Knight Riders paid an emotional tribute to their match-winner Andre Russel, who retired from the Indian Premier League, ending a decade-long association with the franchise. During the Knights Unplugged, a pre-season event in Kolkata attended by the full 2026 squad and thousands of passionate fans, KKR officially retired the No. 12 jersey to honour Andre Russell.

KKR retire jersey No. 12 in tribute of IPL legend Andre Russell

The crowd erupted as Venky Mysore took the stage, carrying a specially framed memento of the iconic purple-and-gold jersey.
“In your honour, we would like to retire this number for KKR,” Mysore announced, a declaration that ensures no other Knight will ever wear the number that Russell turned into a symbol of fear for bowlers worldwide.

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Andre Russell declares lifelong loyalty to KKR

Russell, who gave opposition teams sleepless nights with his explosive performance, shared a personal video recalled with deep emotion where he declared his unwavering loyalty to Kolkata, making it clear that if he wasn’t representing KKR, he wouldn’t play in the IPL at all.

“When you are going through social media, you keep seeing yourself photoshopped in different jerseys (of other teams). I felt weird to see myself in any colour other than purple & gold and those thoughts kept going through my head, leading me to a few sleepless nights,” wrote Russell in his retirement post

As he watched a montage of his ten-year journey with KKR, Andre Russell was visibly emotional. His tenure with the franchise is marked by remarkable number, as scored a total of 2,651 runs at an impressive strike rate of 174.18, along with 123 wickets.

Russell, who played a pivotal role in the 2014 and 2024 title win campaign said, “I got a bit emotional watching that video,” Russell admitted to the cheering crowd.

“It’s been over a decade of amazing achievements, having been part of two title-winning teams. To see what it meant to everyone… that’s a different enjoyment. World Cups feel special. When you win the IPL, it’s something different. The last one we won, I got teary-eyed.”

“When you have left everything on the field, you don’t regret walking away from the game. Every game I played, I played like it was the last game of my IPL career.” he concluded

Russell is set to take on the role of Power coach

As the 2026 season nears, Andre Russell has joined the backroom staff as a power coach. Former India all-rounder Abhishek Nayar will serve as KKR’s head coach this season, with Shane Watson on board as assistant coach.

Kolkata Knight Riders, who appointed Rinku Singh as the vice-captain ahead of the season, will face Mumbai Indians in their IPL 2026 opener at the iconic Wankhede Stadium on March 29.

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The Times Of Bengal