It was a surprise when Kolkata Knight Riders released Andre Russell. It was an even bigger surprise when Russell hung up his boots and joined the franchise's coaching staff as power coach, stating that he did not want to be seen in any other jersey.

Dre Russ, as he is known to the world, answered questions from Cricbuzz through the KKR media team. Excerpts...

You are retiring from IPL but not other leagues. Are the demands of playing IPL - physically or otherwise - far greater?

Russell: Definitely. It is based on the number of games and the travel. You have to make sure that you recover as well as possible to stay fresh and manage your body, manage practice sessions and your workload in the gym. You definitely need to practise, you need to hit the gym, but also make sure not to do too much. With a big league like the IPL, it's always challenging for me as an all-rounder. And I can only speak on behalf of myself, because to bat, bowl and then make sure that you do some catching and fielding stuff - it's always challenging. I just think this league is so big that you always want to make sure that your best performance is always at hand.

Did you ever consider playing on just as a batter?

I have never thought about that, because I think my batting complements my bowling and my bowling complements my batting. I always look forward to bowling at least two overs in a game. I think if I'm bowling well, then my batting will automatically flow and that's very important for me. If I was just a batter from the beginning of my career, then I would maybe think along those lines in terms of my career and everything, but I couldn't see myself playing as just an impact player or batting only and smashing sixes. I have to be fair to what I enjoy doing, which is batting and bowling both.

In your 12 seasons in the league, can you pick moments that stand out for you?

The first IPL trophy that we won would definitely be one of those moments where I saw guys crying - grown men crying and stuff like that. Until then, I had never won a massive league championship apart from the World Cup. But the World Cup is different. It's international cricket; it's different emotions. But to be a part of the IPL since 2012 and then go to KKR and be part of the winning franchise in 2014 was special.

The second moment would be the five-for against Mumbai Indians (in 2021). I came on to bowl maybe two overs in the backend of the innings, and everything just went well - execution based on my plans and the field sets was on point.

The third moment would definitely be that innings against RCB at the Chinnaswamy Stadium (in 2019). We were out and dusted. I can remember seeing fans in purple and gold walking out of the stadium, and the moment I started hitting sixes, I realised that people were coming back. That night was a very, very special innings to me. The fourth would be the last trophy that we won in 2024. That was very special, and I even got emotional and teary-eyed. I played a big part in that game as well, picking up three important wickets. When you play a final and contribute to winning, it is different.

What's that one IPL battle you'll always cherish?

I enjoy playing against most teams. There will always be challenges, but this particular team - Mumbai Indians - always gives us a fight, whether they come to Kolkata or when we go to the Wankhede. We know that, okay, we're going into that ring.

And who was the toughest bowler?

One of the most challenging bowlers that I've always come up against is Jasprit Bumrah. As soon as I come in to bat, most of the time they give him the ball. He has got me out a few times but I have also enjoyed hitting him for a few boundaries. I love those challenges where I'm not going to say, "I'm going to just bat him out or not take him on." I like to take on challenges. He's one of the best in the world right now - maybe the best T20 bowler, or the best T20 fast bowler. So that challenge was always special.

You have the best balls-per-six ratio in the IPL for batters with more than 50 sixes. Can you talk about your training methods for achieving so much success in such a volatile batting role?

I think it comes from preparation. I think once you are clear in your mind and you know your role, you understand the role that you will be playing in games. I know I'm a finisher and I can't practise as a guy who's going to bat at the top of the order. So I tend to go into practice sessions from ball one and try to hit sixes and fours. Boundaries are what take a score from 150 to 190, so if I get 18 deliveries to bat, I would want to hit at least six sixes from those 18 deliveries and maybe four fours. I only think about boundaries, so I'm not surprised with those stats.

I also have the highest career strike rate in the IPL (174.17 - minimum 1000 balls faced). I think it's a big achievement. To play in the league for so many years and still maintain a strike rate like that - it's special. So yeah, it comes from the preparation and the work that I've put in behind the scenes in the gym, in my room... doing strenuous exercises and stuff like that.

How much did you believe in match-ups and data before a game?

Yeah, I would watch a lot of cricket before IPL games. I would try not to get distracted the night before a game. When other games were playing on TV, I would look to see what bowlers do when they're under pressure. What was their go-to when starting a spell? I would be more interested to see how each bowler bowls after 10 overs because that's when I know it's my time to bat in KKR matches.

I would watch games and even if I missed the first eight to 10 overs, I would definitely want to be glued to the TV when it's that phase of the innings because I would know, "okay, this guy tends to bowl at least two or three slower balls per over," so I would make sure that I react to the fast ball but look out for the slower ones. When you do your homework, it comes from a lot of match-ups.

Is there any one performance that you feel is underrated and not talked about enough?

I remember missing a flight once. I don't remember which year this was. Maybe 2016. I flew into Kolkata after missing a flight, so I had to spend a day or two in Miami and get on the next flight. Then I reached India in the morning, and that day was a home game in Kolkata. I think this was a day game as well. I landed, went straight from the airport to the hotel, chilled for two-three hours. I don't even remember if I slept - maybe one hour. I went to the team meeting, and everyone was asking, "Are you sure you want to play? It was such a long flight... you must be jet-lagged..." and I said, "yeah, I'm good."

I turned up and I got three wickets, scored 60-plus runs in the game, and everyone was saying, "yo, you are different, you're not human." Anyone would be mentally drained from a long flight like that, so that's a special innings to me - a special game that no one really talks about. For me, it was the commitment I made to be on the park, and there was also a sense of guilt because I had missed the flight.

How did you know this was the right time to retire from the IPL?

Take Usain Bolt, for example, or AB de Villiers. When those guys hung up their boots while still at the top of their game, a lot of fans were asking, "why?" When I made this decision, I felt it was the best decision for me at this point. I don't want to fade out; I want to leave a legacy behind. I believe it's best to retire when people still say "why" rather than reaching a stage where they say, "okay, yeah, you should have retired three or four years ago."

Tell us a little bit about the 'power coach'...

I'll do that role as best as I can, even though this is something new for me. When you've been around cricket for so many years, nothing is impossible. We have Abhishek (Nayar), Watto (Shane Watson), Tim (Southee) and DJ Bravo already. We will get together and have some chats soon to plan our individual roles. I am happy to help in any department - whether it's in the gym, whether it's fitness, anything. I'm going to be there to make sure that any player who needs me to assist them with anything - I have the experience to do it. I think it suits me well.

To be honest, when I heard that name coming from Mr Venky (Mysore, the CEO), I said, hmm, that describes Dre Russ perfectly, that describes Andre Russell... because when it comes to what I've been doing on the field - the power that I possess when I bat, the energy that I show in the field with the ball in hand - I thought, yeah, this name sounds good: POWER COACH.