KKR retire jersey no. 12 to honour Andre Russell:Knight Riders’ power coach served franchise as player for 11 years, claimed 2 titles

Kolkata Knight Riders have retired their former all-rounder Andre Russell’s jersey number 12 in his honour. Russell was part of the team from 2014 to 2025, except for the 2017 season. Last November, he retired from the IPL and is now serving as the team’s power coach. Russell played 133 Matches for KKR, stayed franchise’s pillar for 11 editions Andre Russell’s IPL career primarily revolved around the Kolkata Knight Riders. Out of his total 140 IPL matches, he played 133 matches exclusively for KKR.
He remained the team’s most important player for 11 seasons. Russell not only led the team to victory in many difficult matches with his batting but also with his death-over bowling. Andre Russell was part of KKR’s 2014 and 2024 title runs Russell was part of KKR’s title wins twice (2014 and 2024). In 2014, he played only 2 matches, but in 2024, his role in making the team champions was the biggest. In that season, Russell scored 222 runs at a strike rate of 185 in 15 matches and also took 19 wickets. His bowling average was 15.52, which is an excellent figure for any all-rounder. Russell on coaching – It’s time to give back to the players Regarding his new role as coach, Russell said, ‘I don’t think becoming a coach has changed my mindset. It’s like giving something back to the players I’ve played with and against for years. It feels great to come back and help these guys.’ De Russ is also the face of the global Knight Riders family Russell’s association has not just been with IPL’s KKR, but he has also played for other Knight Riders franchises. He has also been a part of ‘Abu Dhabi Knight Riders’ in ILT20 and ‘Trinbago Knight Riders’ in CPL. He has played 4 seasons for both these teams. Additionally, he also helped KKR reach the final in the 2014-15 Champions League T20.