IPL 2026: Abhishek Nayar officially appointed as head coach of KKR

Abhishek Nayar was assistant coach of KKR under Chandrakant Pandit and Gautam Gambhir as mentor.

Abhishek Nayar has been named the head coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise, replacing Chandrakant Pandit, who led the team for three seasons, including the 2024 championship year. Nayar was also named head coach of the Women’s Premier League’s (WPL) UP Warriorz earlier this year.

After Pandit and the team split up earlier this year, KKR started looking for a new head coach. The team’s recent trend of giving the position to an Indian coach is maintained with Nayar’s appointment.

Nayar spent more than six months as an assistant coach with the Indian squad, and the team appreciates his innovative coaching style and all-encompassing, player-centric philosophy.

“We’re thrilled to see him take over as head coach.” – KKR CEO Venky Mysore on Abhishek Nayar’s appointment

Nayar, a Mumbai native who joined the KKR family in 2018, is well-known for his talent-spotting skills and mentoring style. He also worked closely with the best players in the nation while serving as assistant coach of the Indian men’s national team under head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Speaking about Nayar’s appointment, Venky Mysore, the CEO of KKR, said, “Abhishek has been a vital part of the Knight Riders setup since 2018, shaping our players both on and off the field. His understanding of the game and connection with players have been key to our growth. We’re thrilled to see him take over as head coach and lead KKR into its next chapter.“

Nayar has had notable success working one-on-one with a number of Indian players. KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and, most notably, Rohit Sharma are among those who have trained with him.

Nayar will collaborate with mentor Dwayne Bravo and other members of the current coaching staff. KKR is currently in the process of selecting a suitable replacement for former bowling coach Bharat Arun, who left the team earlier this year.

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