Jacques Kallis in action for KKR against RCB in IPL 2012 (Source: AFP)
In what seems to be a big piece of news for the KKR fans, the T20 great Andre Russell announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League. Russell’s decision came in the aftermath of KKR opting not to retain him for the tournament’s upcoming edition in 2026. The star all-rounder made this announcement official in a video he shared on his official Instagram handle.
Rewinding the clock 11 years back in 2014, a similar kind of incident occurred when the former legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis proved his loyalty for the Knight Riders. The Proteas legend was not considered by the franchise for the 2015 edition. However, the KKR camp took Kallis’ services as mentor in IPL 2015.
An eight-year long association of loyalty and dedication
Kallis featured for the three-time IPL champions, KKR in the four IPL editions from 2011 to 2014, after RCB parted ways with him after three seasons from 2008 to 2010. The legendary all-rounder featured in 56 games and scored 1295 runs with the bat in 54 innings, with an average of 26.42, hitting seven half-centuries.
Besides that, he also claimed 42 wickets, after bowling 918 overs including a maiden over, registering the best bowling figures of 3/13 in a game.
After his retirement as a player from IPL, KKR roped in Kallis in a different role, appointing him as consultant and mentor in December 2014 for the 2015 edition. Furthermore, just a few months after the conclusion of IPL 2015, the franchise promoted his position from mentor to head coach in October 2015.
After serving as head coach for KKR till 2019, Kallis stepped down from this position. These continuous associations with KKR in either of the roles had been enough to justify the relation and loyalty between the franchise and their prized all-rounder for the years. The Proteas legend stayed with KKR in the capacities of both player and mentor/coach for a long time span of more than eight years from 2011 to 2019.
