Shah Rukh Khan marked the end Andre RussellClap career with an emotional public tribute, hailing Caribbean player as franchise legend and relegating him to new role Kolkata Knight Riders‘”strength coach” from the 2026 season. Russell retired from the IPL after 12 seasons, but will continue to be part of the Knight Riders’ global setup and other T20 leagues.
Shah Rukh Khan’s emotional message to Andre Russell
Responding to Russell’s retirement announcement on social media, SRK thanked those who have served all round in KKR colors over the years and described it as a franchise “A knight in shining armor“.Bollywood superstar highlights Russell’s contribution to KKR”is one for the books“And any form that saw him in any form, except the giant purple and gold, joked”to look strange“, underlines how close his image is to the franchise.
Shah Rukh also used the message to highlight the importance of Russell’s next chapter “Russell muscle for life“And expressing love on behalf of the entire KKR family and sports fans, the post is not a farewell but a continuation of a long-standing association that began when Relspi joined KKR after two seasons Delhi Daredevils.
Russell’s IPL legacy and new role Application trainer
Russell featured in Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and KKR with over 140 runs and 2,651 runs taking 123 wickets at a rate of 9.51 and KKR. He won two IPL titles with KKR (2014 and 2024) and collected two Most Valuable Player awards (2015 and 2019) while producing some iconic shots and spells with appropriate spin that fattened his status as the team’s chief game-changer.
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Back in IPL 2025, approaching an economy of just 167 runs and 12 off eight wickets, before KKR decided to release him IPL 2026 mini-auctioneffectively pave your way to retirement as a player. Russell chose to continue his association with the franchise by accepting a spot Abhishek NayarThe coaching staff, which has been remade as a ‘strength coach’, explained that Shah Rukh Khan will see him.”Wisdom, muscle and of course strength decreases“To the next generation of KKR Daughters. Under this arrangement, Russell will remain a key presence in the Knight Riders ecosystem while playing franchise T20 cricket in other leagues and franchise T20 cricket in the wider Knight Riders group of teams.
