Andre Russell is IPL's first POWER COACH - What will he do in this role

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction is set to take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, UAE with as many as 45 players entering the event at the highest base price of INR 2 crore. The list features several big names including Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Liam Livingstone, and Cameron Green as well. The upcoming season will also see a 'power coach' for the very first time. West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell will be fulfilling the role with his long-time franchise Kolkata Knight Riders after announcing his retirement from the cash-rich league.

What is a power coach?

After KKR released Russell before the upcoming auction, the West Indies all-rounder decided not to put up his name in the auction and announced his retirement from the league. KKR, however, kept him back in support staff as a power coach. What role will he play in this capacity remains unclear but his six-hitting prowess and KKR part-owner Shah Rukh Khan did give a hint about the responsibilities it may include.

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"The power coach - passing down the wisdom, the muscle and of course the power down to our boys in purple and gold," read a part of SRK's social media post.

Russell's six-hitting in IPL

The West Indies allrounder is known for his six hitting in T20s, especially in IPL, when it matters the most - the death overs. Russell is only one of the four batters in IPL to hit 100 or more sixes in 17-20 overs. The other three batters who have hit 100 or more sixes in IPL death overs are: MS Dhoni (186), Kieron Pollard (127), and AB de Villiers (112).

Russell is also the joint-seventh on the list of batters with most sixes in IPL with 223 maximum. If he's able to pass on his ability to hit sixes to next generation of KKR batters, the fans can expect a lot of fireworks in the upcoming season for sure.