Former India batter Mohammad Kaif believes Cameron Green will never be able to fill the void left by Andre Russell at the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The Australian all-rounder was picked by the three-time champions KKR for INR 25.20 crore in the mini auction last year, and it remains to be seen how the fast-bowling all-rounder performs, considering his underwhelming returns in the Ashes against England and the T20 World Cup 2026.
KKR did not retain Russell, and days later, the West Indies T20 World Cup winner announced his retirement from the IPL. He was then named the power-hitting coach by the franchise.
Kaif believes that Green might be very talented, but it would take him years to fill Russell’s shoes and have the same impact on the Kolkata-based franchise. The former India batter also believes that Rovman Powell, the other Windies all-rounder in the KKR squad, cannot fulfil Russell’s role.
“Cameron Green is not even close to Andre Russell. He is a good batter, but the difference is huge when you compare him with Russell,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
“Russell’s absence won’t be filled (by Powell). He contributed a lot with his batting and was also a golden arm. He didn’t always get to bowl four overs, but whenever he bowled, he took wickets. His void cannot be filled even by Cameron Green,” Kaif added.
Role of Shah Rukh Khan
Kaif also claimed that the KKR owner, Shah Rukh Khan, would have played a small role in persuading Russell to stay with the franchise as a member of the support staff.
“I feel they didn’t want to repeat what happened with Chris Gayle. Andre Russell still plays in various leagues and hasn’t completely retired. I think there was a change in plan later on… KKR felt that if this guy goes into the auction and does what Chris Gayle did after being released, they would be making the same mistake twice,” said Kaif.
“So they later decided to talk to him and bring him into the support staff. We all thought he was going to be released, but maybe Shah Rukh Khan stepped in, spoke to him, and requested him to take on a coaching role to help other players,” he added.
The IPL 2026 will begin on March 28 and KKR will play their first match on March 29 against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
