"Never expected KKR to release Andre Russell" - Former India player shocked with decision to part ways with legend ahead of IPL 2026 Auction

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin expressed his disbelief over the Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) decision to release Andre Russell ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction. The veteran Caribbean all-rounder was part of the KKR setup for over a decade, where he won a title and established a legacy.

After a disappointing campaign in IPL 2025, and being unable to make the most of their triumph in 2024, the three-time winners made some bold calls with their revamped coaching unit ahead of the auction. Apart from releasing their big-money acquisition, Venkatesh Iyer, they also released Andre Russell back into the player pool.

The West Indies international had an indifferent IPL 2025 campaign, and had a massive price tag of INR 12 crore against his name.

Ashwin remarked that he expected KKR to enter the auction with a massive purse, but did not expect that they would take such a drastic move to release Russell to spruce up the purse.

"I never expected KKR to release Andre Russell. I thought KKR would come in with 45 crores at least. They are set to go into the auction with all of their briefcases. If there is bid on any player, you can look in their direction. 64 crores going into a mini auction. It is not like KKR have let everyone go, they still have a reasonable XI," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

KKR retained their skipper Ajinkya Rahane, along with their core players like Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, and Ramandeep Singh, among others.

"Boss, we are looking at a serious attack here" - R Ashwin feels that KKR should go all out for Matheesha Pathirana at IPL 2026 Auction

Despite the major releases, KKR still have an intact bowling line-up with spinners in Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy, and Indian seamers in Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora. The franchise lacked an overseas spearhead last season after Mitchell Starc's release, and Ashwin feels that acquiring Matheesha Pathirana will sort out a lot of their bowling issues.

"KKR are making a statement that whatever player they want, they just want it at all costs. They will not allow anyone else to get in their way. They will walk away with the players of their choice, and I have a feeling they will go all out for Cameron Green, they will again try and go for Venkatesh Iyer, and I will be interested to see if KKR go for Pathirana," Ashwin predicted. "KKR anyway have an affinity for mystery, they have backed Chakaravarthy and Narine in the past. Death bowling is difficult in KKR, and if they can find a pacer who can give them 35-40 runs in the death, then they will take that with 6 hands. KKR already have a lot of options for the first six overs. Boss, we are looking at a serious attack here," he added.

CSK released Matheesha Pathirana despite retaining him a season earlier, ahead of the mega auction. However, since then, the Sri Lankan speedster has struggled with injuries and consistency, and has also had to remodel his action.

Edited by Gokul Nair