Andre Russell's IPL retirement plans leaked by KKR teammate

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player Varun Chakravarthy opened up about the retirement plans of Andre Russell amid the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. He said that the all-rounder looks fit and fine and wants to play for another six years.

Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Andre Russell has been in the news ever since the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) started. The Carribean player hasn't been able to bring his best in the league, and this has been one of the reasons why the defending champions are struggling.

Andre Russell played a match-winning knock against the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025

It's fair to say that Kolkata Knight Riders have underutilized Andre Russell a bit with the bat and the ball. The all-rounder has been coming to bat in the last few overs and also hasn't bowled as much as he has in the previous seasons. This hasn't allowed him to settle and give his best.

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However, in the most recent game against the Rajasthan Royals, Russell got an opportunity to bat up in the order, and he made sure he set the stage on fire. The all-rounder smacked a 25-ball 57 to turn the momentum in his team's favour and help them post a big total on the board.

While he played a sensational inning for his team, there have been a lot of talks about his retirement from the league. With him being at the fag end of his career, there have been various rumours which claimed that he might call time on his career soon.

He still wants to play another two or three cycles of the IPL - Varun Chakravarthy on Andre Russell

However, Varun Chakaravarthy confirmed that the all-rounder has no plans as of yet. He mentioned that Russell wants to play for another two or three cycles of the IPL. Speaking to reporters about the same, he said:

"As far as I’ve spoken to him and interacted with him, he still wants to play another two or three cycles of the IPL – which is easily six more years. He looks fine and fit. It doesn’t matter how old you are, as long as you’re contributing to the team. That’s the mindset. In franchise cricket, no one’s going to question that,”

That’s not true – it’s not like he can’t hit spin - Varun Chakravarthy on Andre Russell

Varun Chakravarthy also addressed the talk of Andre Russell struggling against spin. He said that the all-rounder can hammer spinners, saying that he chose a different path against the Rajasthan Royals. He added:

“That’s not true – it’s not like he can’t hit spin. He can hammer spin; we’ve all seen it before. Even in net practice, he smashes it. But today, he chose a different approach, and that was very smart of him. I could see that, and I can tell you it’s part of his development."

Also Read: India players to leave for England in between IPL 2025; BCCI begins logistics