Recently released by Kolkata Knight Riders, the 37-year-old all-rounder said on Instagram that he will not join another team and will instead return to KKR as their “power coach” for the 2026 season.
"I had some amazing times and great memories (in the IPL), hitting sixes, winning games, getting MVPs," Russell was quoted as saying in a release.
"When I made this decision, I felt like it was the best decision at this point. I don't want to fade out, I want to leave a legacy behind. It's best to retire when fans ask "why? You still have some more in you. You still could go for a bit longer." instead of "yeah, you should have done it years back."
Russell said he preferred to bow out while still performing strongly, wanting fans to wonder why he retired rather than feel he stayed too long.
Across 12 IPL seasons, he played 140 matches, scoring 2651 runs at a strike rate of 174.18 and taking 123 wickets. After debuting with Delhi in 2012, he became a KKR mainstay from 2014, winning titles in 2014 and 2024 and earning MVP honours in 2015 and 2019.
Known for his explosive finishing, he retires with 223 sixes, the seventh-highest in IPL history.
