Andre Russell, one of the all-time greats of the Indian Premier League (IPL), was released by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last month. He had spent 12 seasons playing for the Knights and won the IPL title twice.
After his release, fans and experts started speculating where Russell could be headed next, with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) looking to be his most likely destination. However, the Caribbean all-rounder dropped a bombshell a few days later, as he announced his retirement from the IPL and joined KKR as their Power Coach.
The upcoming edition of the IPL will be bereft of one of its greatest cricketers, a two-time MVP (Most Valuable Player) award winner.
Let’s take a look at three players who could fill the big boots of Andre Russell in the IPL:
Marco Jansen
Punjab Kings’ Marco Jansen is more of a bowling all-rounder. However, his batting is improving all the time. During the ongoing series between India and South Africa, Jansen has shown his capability with the bat, hitting massive sixes by putting his long levers to good use.
Jansen is just 25 years old and has the experience of playing 19 T20Is and 35 IPL matches. IPL 2026 could be the season where he takes the world by storm as a batter and establishes himself as a top seam-bowling all-rounder in the shortest format.