IPL 2026: KKR all set to appoint Abhishek Nayar as head coach after parting ways with Chandrakant Pandit - Reports

By Vikas Singh Derek

Vikas Singh Derek has a Master's in Journalism and has written more than 50,000 articles. He currently works as a cricket content writer at Khel Now.

Published at :October 26, 2025 at 5:00 PM

Modified at :October 26, 2025 at 5:00 PM

(Courtesy : Twitter)

Abhishek Nayar had joined KKR as a support staff member in IPL 2025.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are set to appoint Abhishek Nayar as their head coach for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. As per the reports in The Indian Express, the franchise informed Nayar about their decision last week, and an official announcement will be made soon.

KKR were in a need of a head coach and this came after they parted ways with Chandrakant Pandit following their poor performances in IPL 2025. Since then, Nayar, who has been rated highly by some of the big Indian cricketers, has been under the radar of three-time IPL champions. Working with KKR won’t be a new thing for him as the former Mumbai all-rounder has been long associated with the franchise.

Nayar, who after IPL 2024 was named as India’s assistant coach, was back in the KKR colours in IPL 2025 after he was sacked from his role at the Indian Cricket Team. He has been the main man behind franchise’s success at grassroot level, taking care of grooming players in the academy.

Abhishek Nayar was recently named as the head coach of UP Warriorz for WPL 2026

The 42-year-old is widely popular for grooming Indian batters in the past and helping them to improve their batting techniques. Recently, he also worked with Indian opener Rohit Sharma in his fitness journey ahead of the Australia tour, helping him to lose 10 kgs of weight.

Earlier this year, Nayar was roped as head coach by UP Warriorz franchise for Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026. It will be interesting to see if he will continue to hold the role of head coach if appointed in the same role at KKR.

Meanwhile, KKR had a dismal performance in IPL 2025 season, where they failed to qualify for the play-offs. Out of 14 games, they won five matches and lost seven games to finish at the eighth spot in the points table with 12 points. Two of their matches ended with no result due to rain.

Who was the head coach of KKR in IPL 2025?

Chandrakant Pandit was the head coach of KKR in IPL 2025.

Who is the head coach of UP Warriorz in WPL?

Abhishek Nayar was recently appointed as the head coach of UP Warriorz for WPL 2026.

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Vikas Singh Derek

Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.