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Despite being ignored at the overseas draft in August, West Indies superstar Andre Russell will play in the upcoming Big Bash League (BBL) 2022-23 as a short-term replacement for platinum signing Liam Livingstone in the Melbourne Renegades.
Notably, Livingstone, who was the No.1 pick in the BBL Draft, but he won’t be available as he was named into England’s Test squad for the tour of Pakistan in December.
Russell, who has previously played seven games for Renegades in 2014-15, which was also his first stint at the BBL, expressed his excitement to join his old BBL side.
“I can’t wait to be part of the Big Bash League again this summer. I’m excited to be back in red and will be doing everything I can to help the Melbourne Renegades start the tournament with a bang,” said Russell, as quoted by cricket.com.au.
Apart from Renegades, Russell has also represented Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars. Though, his stint with the Stars only lasted five matches in the previous edition because of his commitments in other leagues.
Renegades General Manager James Rosengarten mentioned that the Caribbean star had been in their initial draft plans, and they had no hesitation in getting him as a replacement player.
“We are thrilled to have Andre Russell returning to the Renegades this summer. Andre is one of the best T20 players in the world; he’s a proven match-winner and exactly the type of player we need. He adds to our team in all three facets of the game – his ability to clear the boundary, take wickets, and make things happen in the field,” said Rosengarten.
“We had positive discussions with Andre throughout the draft process and were always keen to try to get him back in red. With Liam’s availability changing after the draft, there was an opportunity to add Andre to our group, and we jumped at it,” he added.
Melbourne Renegades squad:
Nic Maddinson (captain), Zak Evans, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Akeal Hosein (overseas), Ruwantha Kellapotha (overseas), Shaun Marsh, Jack Prestwidge, Kane Richardson, Corey Rocchiccioli, Tom Rogers, Andre Russell (overseas), Will Sutherland, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (overseas), Jon Wellsn
