Power coach in IPL

What is the Role of Power Coach in IPL? Know in Detail

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Published - Dec 01, 2025, 01:44 PM

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In a surprising move, legendary all-rounder Andre Russell has brought down the curtains on his IPL playing career and instantly moved into a new role off the field. The West Indies all-rounder, famous for his brutal sixes, match-turning cameos and seam bowling, announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League on November 30, 2025 and will join Kolkata Knight Riders’ backroom as their new Power Coach.

This move keeps him within the KKR family while shifting his focus from finishing games to teaching others how to win them. Russell said he cannot imagine himself in a different jersey other than the Knights, and now he wants to help younger players develop the strength that made him one of the most dangerous batsmen in IPL.

Know All About Power Coach in IPL

There is a growing buzz among the fans regarding the role of power coach in cricket. The cricket lovers are wondering what is a power coach. Although this remains a designation created especially for Andre Russell after his conversation with Venky Mysore and Shah Rukh Khan. The exact role is yet to be known, but it is expected that a power coach is a specialist role that works for the modern-day T20 scenario.

As the name implies, a power coach is tasked with sharpening a batter’s ability to play forceful and game-changing shots. The 37-year-old Jamaican will now use that experience to guide KKR’s batting group, helping them in the art of power-hitting with his expertise.

“There have been a lot of conversations between me and Mr. Venky Mysore and also Mr. Shah Rukh Khan, about another chapter in my IPL journey. They have shown me love and respect and have appreciated whatever I’ve been doing on the field. To be in a setup that’s familiar, matters to me a lot," Russell said in a statement.
“When I heard that name ‘Power Coach’, I felt that it describes Andre Russell the best, because the power that I possess when I bat, the energy that I show in the field with the ball in hand, I can help in any department," he added.

The coaching manual could consist of hard-hitting batting practice to extract maximum value from the death overs. In practice, this role completely suits someone like Dre Russ, who has been a brute force, especially in the shortest format of the game.

A power coach might work around techniques specifically suited for big hitting, like optimal bat swing, timing drills, and footwork patterns that let batters convert timing into maximum distance. By stepping into the coaching setup, Russell joins the path taken by another prominent Caribbean T20 great, Kieron Pollard, who is currently as the Mumbai Indians’ batting coach while continuing to represent the franchise in some of the biggest cricket leagues in the world.

Andre Russell IPL Retirement: What Made Him Step Down?

Andre Russell power coach role has taken over the internet after he decided to step away from the IPL. He showed his loyalty to the franchise as he was not willing to step into the IPL auction and feature for any other team in the richest cricket league in the world.

“I’ve made a decision to retire from the IPL. I will still be active playing in various leagues around the world and for all the other KKR franchises. I had some amazing times and great memories (in the IPL), hitting sixes, winning games, getting MVPs…," he said.
“When I made this decision, I felt like it was the best decision at this point. I don’t want to fade out, I want to leave a legacy behind. It’s best to retire when fans ask ‘why? You still have some more in you. You still could go for a bit longer’. instead of ‘yeah, you should have done it years back’."
“When you are going through social media, you keep seeing yourself photoshopped 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 me to a few sleepless nights."

Russell has been a constant presence in the IPL since 2012, beginning his journey with the former Delhi Daredevils, featuring for them in his first two seasons. Across his career, the Jamaican all-rounder played over 140 IPL matches, and smashed 2,651 runs at a strike rate of 174.18, registering 12 half-centuries.

With the ball, he claimed 123 wickets at an economy of 9.51. He will always be remembered as an IPL great and the one who can change the course of a match with his power-hitting.