The Independent Voice of West Indies Cricket

Knight Riders back Russell, call ban 'administrative error'

Tue, Feb 21, '17

 

NO TOPIC

Kolkata Knight Riders came out in support of Andre Russell in the Indian Premier League auction in Bengaluru on Monday (February 20) after the all-rounder was banned for a year for violating the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) whereabouts clause. Russell won't be available for the tenth edition of the IPL for the franchise.
Even with no clarity over the retention rule for the next edition, and with most players set to go into the auction pool, Knight Riders decided to retain Russell. The franchise could have easily released him and went into the auction with an increased purse but revealed they are keen on retaining him. What they did best was work their strategy around it and acquire the services of Trent Boult, Chris Woakes and Nathan Coulter-Nile to fill the void.
"It's unfortunate that Russell has received a sanction for what I would call an administrative error," Venky Mysore, the CEO of Knight Riders, said. "There has been a slip-up somewhere and I know it's not his fault. He can't play this year, but we haven't released him. Next year, depending on retention rules, we'll try and keep him with us."