Russell opened up about the emotional toll in a media release, “When you are going through social media, you keep seeing yourself photo-shopped in different jerseys of other teams. I felt weird to see myself in any colour other than purple & gold, and those thoughts kept going through my head, leading to a few sleepless nights.” And the feeling was mutual, given that the star was part of the Knight Riders’ global project – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Trinbago Knight Riders and LA Knight Riders.

Yet, KKR decided to release him ahead of the auction this year. While one could argue that the call was based on his recent slump in T20 cricket – 167 runs and eight wickets in IPL 2025 – a Cricbuzz report revealed that it had a lot to do with CSK.

Through media reports and social media, KKR learned that CSK were to let go of Matheesha Pathirana (INR 13 crore), which they did, leaving them with an auction purse of INR 43.40 crore. This led Kolkata to reconsider their plans and Russell became collateral. The decision left KKR with the highest purse, of INR 64.30 crore, before the auction in mid-December. And this could influence them in targeting high-demand overseas players like Australia’s Cameron Green or England’s Jamie Smith, or both.

The second reason was Russell’s price. “Although the Jamaican’s league fee was INR 12 crore, the actual deduction amounted to INR 18 crore because he had been retained in the top bracket last season,” added the report.

The third aspect pointed out in the report was the timing of the retirement announcement. The website reckoned that Russell, seeking clarity over his future, likely approached KKR on the final day for player registration, which is when he was offered the coaching role. Had it not been for that decision, Russell would have entered the auction. “It was a future-proof pact for Russell,” claimed an IPL insider.