KKR star plays two matches on back-to-back days in two different countries

West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell turned up for the Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) less than 24 hours after playing for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders against the Dubai Capitals in the International League T20 (ILT20) in the United Arab Emirates. He flew to Dhaka for the playoff contest as Abu Dhabi Knight Riders finished at the bottom of the table at the end of the league stage.

In the clash against the Dubai Capitals on February 2, Russell was dismissed for a duck by Dushmanta Chameera and was not called upon to bowl. Following the 26-run defeat against the Sam Billings-led side that ended the Knight Riders' campaign, the all-rounder was available for the BPL Eliminator clash between the Rangpur Riders and the Khulna Tigers.

However, the Caribbean all-rounder failed to impress again as Mohammad Nawaz dismissed him for just four runs off seven deliveries. Rangpur Riders were bowled out for a paltry 85 and were knocked out of the competition after the Tigers chased the target down with nine wickets to spare.

The hectic schedules of freelance cricketers have been well-documented recently. Sri Lanka all-rounder Dasun Shanaka also faced a similar predicament to Andre Russell.

He played a first-class game in Colombo for the Sinhalese Sports Club, recording a hundred on the morning of February 2. Right after the contest, he traveled to Dubai and made a crucial cameo to help the Dubai Capitals defeat the Knight Riders.

KKR's Andre Russell had a poor campaign for their sister franchise in ILT20 2025

Andre Russell was retained by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction. There were doubts regarding his future with KKR due to his age and injury record, but contrary to reports he was on the retention list.

He had an underwhelming 2024 T20 World Cup campaign on home soil and was far from his best in the ILT20 season too. He scored only 130 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 156.61 and had an average of 18.57 to result in yet another forgettable campaign for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.