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"I don't want to...": KKR great Andre Russell reveals reason behind IPL retirement

Harsh Adwani

Andre Russell on retiring early from the IPL [Source: @LoyalSachinFan/x.com]Andre Russell on retiring early from the IPL [Source: @LoyalSachinFan/x.com]

The news that Andre Russell had retired from the Indian Premier League (IPL) did not seem timely. Even though he did not have the best run in the last edition, no one doubted that he still had what it takes to do well. After all, he had done what no other could do for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their 12-year-long association.

The Jamaican star has now opened up on his decision to step down from the cash-rich league. Speaking to Cricbuzz, Russell revealed that he did not want to wait for the time to be right and risk outstaying his welcome. He said that he did not want to fade out of the IPL.

“Take Usain Bolt, for example, or AB de Villiers. When those guys hung up their boots while still at the top of their game, a lot of fans were asking, ‘Why?’ When I made this decision, I felt it was the best decision for me at this point. I don't want to fade out; I want to leave a legacy behind. I believe it's best to retire when people still say "why" rather than reaching a stage where they say, ‘Okay, yeah, you should have retired three or four years ago’,” he said.

IPL is a very demanding league, believes Russell

The KKR star has decided to retire just from the IPL and not the other leagues. When asked if the IPL was more demanding than any other competition, he said that the league was so big that he always had to stay at the top of his game.

“Definitely. It is based on the number of games and the travel. You have to make sure that you recover as well as possible to stay fresh and manage your body, manage practice sessions and your workload in the gym. You definitely need to practise; you need to hit the gym, but also make sure not to do too much. With a big league like the IPL, it's always challenging for me as an all-rounder. And I can only speak on behalf of myself, because to bat, bowl and then make sure that you do some catching and fielding stuff – it's always challenging. I just think this league is so big that you always want to make sure that your best performance is always at hand,” he said.

In the 140 games that he played, Russell scored 2651 runs at an unimaginable strike rate of 174.2. He also took 123 wickets with the ball. The star all-rounder is definitely leaving behind an everlasting legacy in the league.