Check out the list of IPL teams who don’t need to pay attention to Andre Russell in the IPL 2026 mini-auction taking place on December 16.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) finally pressed a button many thought they never would, parting ways with Andre Russell after over a decade of riding his highs and surviving his lows. The IPL 2026 auction on December 16 now has a heavyweight name at the top of the list, and franchises know they are not just bidding on an all-rounder.
They are bidding on the most destructive lethal hitter in the history of the league, the man who became the fastest to 200 sixes and the only cricketer, apart from Ravindra Jadeja, to cross the 2000 runs and 100 wickets mark in this tournament.
Even with a quieter 2025 by his standards, Russell’s reputation is huge. Teams understand exactly what he brings as soon as he walks in. He can bowl a ten-ball chase, he can bowl the overs that no one wants, and he has already coached KKR to titles in 2014 and 2024 in addition to winning individual awards in 2015 and 2019. He will be in demand, almost inevitably, but there are still a few franchises that don’t really need him right now. Below, we see three of those teams that shouldn’t get involved in the bidding war for Russell.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Andre Russell at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) would be massive and epic. But wait, the current IPL champions don’t need him at all. While a player like him would easily hit sixes at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium (if RCB play there next season), there may be no place for him at the moment.
The simple answer to this question is Tim David. He has completely reinvented his game and that is one of the main reasons why RCB won the title this year. David was a bargain at Rs 3 crore, scoring 187 runs at an average of 62.33 and a strike rate of 185.15. RCB also has Romario Shepherd, who is currently a better bowler than Russell. So, RCB definitely doesn’t need the big man in the mini-auction.
Players selected by RCB: Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Krunal Pandya, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Devdutt Padikkal, Nuwan Thurshara, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Yash Dayal, Abhinandan Singh, Rasikh Dar
Remaining RCB purse for IPL 2026 auction: INR 16.4 crore
Mumbai Indians (MI)
The Mumbai Indians (MI) team would be unbeatable if they added Andre Russell to it. Surely the most feared team of all time. But with not even Rs 3 crore in their kitty at the moment, they have no chance of having the might of the Caribbean. Additionally, MI are already stacked when it comes to their batting, with Indian stars gaining all the important spots.
Moreover, with a great exchange with Sherfane Rutherford’s Gujarat Titans (GT), MI also settled their finish. With Hardik Pandya, Rutherford and Naman Dhir, MI already have options on the table. They could just look to add an extra batter, but since they have the smaller purse, MI need to find a cheap alternative.
MI retained the players: Allah Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Santner, Naman Dhir, Raghu Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Robin Minz, Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Will Jacks, Shardul Thakur (traded from LSG), Mayank Markande (traded from KKR), Sherfane Rutherford (traded from GT).
MI Purse Remaining for IPL 2026 Auction: 2.75 million INR
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Currently, Rajasthan Royals (RR) might not have a team capable of winning an IPL. But guys, they have enough bases covered that they don’t really need someone like Andre Russell. If they had released Shimron Hetmyer, who has a contract worth Rs 11 crore, things would have been different. But RRs have a stacked middle order. With Riyan Parag, potential captain Dhruv Jurel, Hetmyer, new additions Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, RR is out of room.
What’s more fascinating is the acquisition of Donovan Ferreira, who may be an underrated finisher for the team. The South African is having a tremendous year in 2025, as he has scored 721 runs with an exceptional strike rate of 191.75 (only 3 batters have a better SR than him this year in T20). Also, with RR having Rs 16.05 crore, they really need to invest in their bowling. So take Russell out of the equation for early champions.
Players retained by RR: Dhruv Jurel, Jofra Archer, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Nandre Burger, Riyan Parag, Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yudhvir Singh, Ravindra Jadeja (traded from CSK), Sam Curran (traded from CSK), Donovan Ferreira (traded from DC).
Remaining RR purse for IPL 2026 auction: Rs 16.05 million
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