Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) CEO Venky Mysore has revealed that it was the team owner Shah Rukh Khan who suggested to offer a coaching role to West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell, after the franchise decided to release him before the IPL 2026 auction.
“I could see he (Russell) was agonising over it, and, so when I shared this with SRK [Shah Rukh Khan, KKR lead owner], it was actually SRK’s suggestion of offering Russell a coaching role,” Mysore told ESPNCricinfo.
Recently KKR released Russel before the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Following the decision, Russell’s name was linked with many franchises. However, the 37-year-old announced his retirement from the tournament before KKR announced him as the ‘power coach’ for the franchise.
Mysore also spoke about the uncertainties that the players face about their future after retirement. “Because, see, a player is thinking somewhere at the back of his mind, what happens after I hang up my boots? But I don’t think they want to think about it also so much because professional athletes are like that,” Mysore said. “They believe I’m still good, and Dre still is – he is fantastic and playing other leagues.”
Russell was an integral part of the KKR set-up and there are innumerable matches that he single-handedly won for the Kolkata-based franchise. He also helped the franchise win two IPL titles.
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