The IPL (Indian Premier League) retention announcement is right around the corner; the 10 franchises will be hard at work finalising their squads, releasing and retaining their core players ahead of the new season of the competition.
With the auction for the 19th season of the tournament looming on the horizon, former Australia cricketer Aaron Finch took centre stage and talked about the squad of three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders. The former opener talked about the situation of veteran all-rounder Andre Russell.
There is no doubt that Russell has been an integral part of KKR’s success over the years in the tournament, but Finch opined that the side could get a great trade deal for Russell, but due to his importance in the side, they would never let him go.
"Contentious one. Fold. But I think that you could get a great trade. But we know that they are not going to do it. They will never release Dre Rus,” Finch told Star Sports.
Andre Russell’s IPL career in numbers
It is worth noting that Andre Russell is one of the most integral players for Kolkata Knight Riders. Across the many years of his service to the franchise, Russell has often dug his side out of trouble, whether that’d be with the bat or the ball.
With 140 matches played in the IPL, Russell has scored 2,651 runs to his name and has also taken 123 wickets. If he is retained by the franchise, he will look to give his best performances for the side once more and hopefully take them closer to winning their fourth IPL title. 15th November is the deadline for the sides finalising their retentions and releases ahead of the IPL auction that is reportedly slated to be held in December 2025.
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