Andre Russell announces retirement from IPL, joins KKR support staff as power coach
Kolkata (PTI): Swashbuckling all-rounder Andre Russell on Sunday announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League ahead of the mini auction scheduled for December 16, and will join three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders' coaching staff.
The 37-year-old Russell, who has been an integral part of of the KKR side since IPL 2014, will join their coaching staff as a "power coach" ahead of the 2026 edition for which an auction will be held in Abu Dhabi.
"Hanging up my IPL boots… but not the swagger. What a ride it's been in the IPL — 12 seasons of memories, and a whole lot of love from the @KKRiders family," Russell wrote on X.
"I'll still be smashing sixes and taking wickets in every other league around the world. And the best part? I'm not leaving home… you'll see me in a new role, in KKR's Support Staff, as the POWER COACH of 2026. New chapter. Same energy. Forever a Knight," he added.
By joining the support staff, Russell has followed the footsteps of another venerable T20 cricketer from the Caribbean, Kieron Pollard, who serves as the batting coach of Mumbai Indians, even though he represents the franchise in other leagues.
"I've made a decision to retire from the IPL. I will still be active playing in various leagues around the world and for all the other KKR franchises. I had some amazing times and great memories (in the IPL), hitting sixes, winning games, getting MVPs...," he said in a statement issued to the media.
"When I made this decision, I felt like it was the best decision at this point. I don't want to fade out, I want to leave a legacy behind. It's best to retire when fans ask 'why? You still have some more in you. You still could go for a bit longer'. instead of 'yeah, you should have done it years back'."
"When you are going through social media, you keep seeing yourself photoshopped in different jerseys (of other teams). I felt weird to see myself in any colour other than purple & gold and those thoughts kept going through my head, leading me to a few sleepless nights."
Russell said he has had discussions with the KKR management over his role in the franchise.
"There have been a lot of conversations between me and Mr. Venky Mysore and also Mr. Shah Rukh Khan, about another chapter in my IPL journey. They have shown me love and respect and have appreciate whatever I've been doing on the field. To be in a setup that's familiar, matters to me a lot," he said.
"When I heard that name 'Power Coach', I felt that describes Andre Russell the best, because the power that I possess when I bat, the energy that I show in the field with ball in hand, I can help in any department," Russell added.
Russell, who has not missed a season of the IPL since 2012, represented erstwhile Delhi Daredevils in his first two editions.
An all-rounder known for his brute force with the bat and a knack of taking wickets at key junctures, Russell played a total of 140 matches in the IPL and scored 2,651 runs at a strike rate of 174.18 with 12 fifties.
He also took 123 wickets at an economy rate of 9.51 with one five-wicket haul in his name.
Russell called time on his IPL playing career a day after Faf du Plessis, 41, announced that he would not take part in this year's edition as he will play in another league.
Hanging up my IPL boots… but not the swagger 💜💛
— Andre Russell (@Russell12A) November 30, 2025
What a ride it’s been in the IPL — 12 seasons of memories, and a whole lot of love from the @KKRiders family 🙏🏿
I’ll still be smashing sixes and taking wickets in every other league around the world 🌎🔥
And the best part?… pic.twitter.com/S5kU0YFRcR
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
