KKR Retires Andre Russell’s No. 12 Jersey to Honour Franchise Legend Ahead of IPL 2026

March 25, 2026: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have decided to retire jersey number 12 to honour their star all-rounder Andre Russell. The team made this special announcement at their pre-season event, Knights Unplugged 3.0, on Tuesday evening.

Andre Russell has returned to KKR as a ‘power coach’ for the new season. He played for the team for 12 years, from 2014 to 2025. With his unique hairstyle and strong performance on the field, he became one of KKR’s most important players. He helped the team win two IPL titles in 2014 and 2024.

Russell’s Records and Achievements

Russell played 140 IPL matches, scoring 2,651 runs with a strike rate of 174.17 and taking 123 wickets. He is only the second all-rounder in IPL history to score more than 2,000 runs and take 100 wickets. In 2019, he won the Most Valuable Player award after scoring 510 runs with a strike rate of 204.81 and an average of 56.66.

He is also a two-time ICC Men’s T20 World Cup winner (2012 and 2016). Russell has the best bowling figures for KKR in IPL history, taking 5 wickets for 15 runs against the Mumbai Indians in 2021. With 122 wickets, he is the second-highest wicket-taker for KKR, after Sunil Narine, who has 192 wickets.

ICYMI: Jersey no. 12 forever belongs to DRE RUSS 💜 pic.twitter.com/D1cFfhuYvI

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 24, 2026

Team and Russell Share Their Feelings

KKR CEO Venky Mysore spoke about Russell and said, “We have had a long relationship with Andre Russell, both in the team and personally. He has given us many great moments on the field. He always wore number 12 with pride. This number is very special to him, so we want to honour him by retiring it and starting a new tradition.”

Andre Russell also shared his thoughts and said, “It has been more than ten years of amazing moments with this team. I felt emotional watching the video. Being part of two title-winning teams with KKR means a lot. Winning a World Cup is special, but winning the IPL feels different. I want to thank KKR for making this journey so special for me.”