Kolkata Knights Riders (KKR) officially retired jersey number 12 in honour of their former star all-rounder Andre Russell during their Knights Unplugged pre-season event ahead of the start of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. 

Russell, who spent 11 seasons at the Eden Gardens, made his IPL debut for the Delhi Capitals back in 2012 and spent two seasons there, playing just seven times. He then moved to KKR in 2014 where he found his home where he would go on to score 2,638 runs and take 122 wickets.

The West Indies all-rounder won two titles in Purple and Gold, in 2014 and most recently in 2024, when he contributed to 222 runs and 19 wickets.

For his excellent service to the franchise, KKR decided to retire their shirt number 12 with CEO Venky Mysore making the announcement in front of a huge audience. The 37-year-old, who has now retired to become the team’s Power Coach, was shown a video of his time representing KKR. 

“I got a bit emotional watching that video. It's been over a decade of amazing achievements, having been part of two title-winning teams. To see what it meant to everyone... that's a different enjoyment. World Cups feel special. When you win the IPL, it's something different. The last one we won, I got teary-eyed. When you have left everything on the field, you don't regret walking away from the game. Every game I played, I played like it was the last game of my IPL career,” Russellsaid during KKR’s event. 

KKR had a huge task of replacing arguably one of their greatest all-rounders ever. The three-time champions spent a whopping INR 25.20 crore to secure the services of Australia's Cameron Green ahead of the 2026 IPL in hopes that he can replicate Russell’s brilliance in the team.

KKR will commence their IPL campaign on Sunday, March 29, with an away game against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium.