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The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) officially bowed out of the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) following their defeat at the hands of the Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) on Saturday, May 20. They ended the season seventh on the points table, having won just six out of their 14 games.
One of the biggest reasons behind their failure in IPL 2023 was the performance (or lack therof) of their Carribbean star, Andre Russell. The 35-year old could only score 227 runs at a disappointing average of 20.64. He didn't bowl much either, throwing down only 15.1 overs over the course of the season and returning seven wickets. He conceded runs at an extremely high economy rate of 11.34, which further plagued KKR.
His poor run fetched a lot of criticism from pundits and fans alike. A lot of them also opined that KKR should release the big-hitting all-rounder ahead of next season.
Here, we look at three reasons why the franchise should indeed release 'Dre Russ'.
#1. Inconsistent showings
While there is no doubting his ability as one of the best finishers going around, no one can deny the fact that the big Jamaican has not delivered on a consistent basis. His stats in recent years are quite disappointing for a player of his caliber. Russell had a brilliant season in 2019, scoring 510 runs at an astonishing strike-rate of 204.81 but post that, it's been a totally different story.
In 2020, he could only score 117 runs in 10 games at a poor average of 13. Then, in 2021, he managed only 183 runs in 10 games. 2022 was better as he scored 335 runs but a couple of good innings hiked that run tally.
Russell has been a 'hit or miss' player in recent times which is not a great quality to have. This has dented KKR in recent times and they would perhaps be better off having someone who can be trusted to deliever on a regular basis.
#2. Will add to their purse ahead of the auction
Andre Russell's services cost the Knight Riders a huge sum of INR 16 crore. If they decide to let Russell go, they will go into the auction with a huge purse which will allow them to be more proactive, something which was not the case in the auction held in December 2022.
KKR did not have a lot of money left and thus were unable to go after some of the best players in the world. In case they still want to keep Russell, they could release him and then look to buy him back at a lower price.
#3. Age
At 35, Russell is no spring chicken and thus, is not a long term option for the Knight Riders. The franchise have not won the IPL for nine years now and need to take a few big decisions. They have an exciting Indian core comprising the like of Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakarvarthy, Vaibhav Arora and Suyash Sharma, who have all done reasonaly well this year (except Shreyas, who was injured), but the overseas stars, including Russell, have failed to fire.
Hence, KKR could look to let Russell go and instead sign someone who is young with an eye on the future.
