Andre Russell to Retire After IPL 2025? KKR Star Varun Chakravarthy Gives Clarity After IPL 2025 Win Over RR

KKR vs RR, IPL 2025: Andre Russell had been facing the heat in IPL 2025 due to his poor form with the bat, but on Sunday, the Jamaican cricketer turned things around as he hit a scintillating 57 off 25 balls to help Kolkata post a challenging total. 

But with inconsistency being a problem, will this season be Russell's last at the IPL? Will he retire? While this question must have been there in the minds of the fans, KKR's Varun Chakravarthy gave clarity on it after the side beat Rajasthan Royals by a solitary run. 

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‘He still wants to play another two or three cycles’

"As far as I've spoken to him and interacted with him, he still wants to play another two or three cycles of the IPL - which is easily six more years. He looks fine and fit. It doesn't matter how old you are, as long as you're contributing to the team. That's the mindset. In franchise cricket, no one's going to question that," Chakravarthy said to India Today. 

Chakravarthy also went on to praise Russell's ability to play spin as the Jamaican cricketer has been questioned often over it. 

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"That's not true - it's not like he can't hit spin. He can hammer spin; we've all seen it before. Even in net practice, he smashes it. But today, he chose a different approach, and that was very smart from him. I could see that, and I can tell you it's part of his development," added Varun.

Win Over Royals Keeps Knight Riders Alive

While the Royals were already out of the playoff race, the Knights were still in it before the two teams faced each other. For Kolkata, it was a must-win game for them to keep their hopes alive. Now, with the win, Kolkata have kept their hopes alive of making it through to the playoff.