Overview
- KKR have released long-serving all-rounder Andre Russell ahead of the mini-auction after more than a decade together.
- The overhaul leaves Kolkata with roughly Rs 64.3 crore, a purse widely reported as the largest for the upcoming auction.
- Aakash Chopra and R Ashwin publicly urged KKR to pursue Australia’s Cameron Green, framing him as a possible Russell upgrade and a likely big-money target.
- Green’s recent T20 form, including 258 T20I runs this year at an average of 43 with a strike rate above 168 plus a return to regular bowling, adds to his appeal.
- Further exits include Moeen Ali, Anrich Nortje, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Spencer Johnson and Venkatesh Iyer, while a retained core led by Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Rinku Singh remains, with the option to re-sign Russell at auction.