Former Indian national team assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has been appointed as head coach of Kolkata Knight Riders, replacing Chandrakant Pandit at the former champions’ side. This is a major development after his dismissal as India’s assistant coach.
Abhishek Nayar is an inspiring name in the game of cricket as he has shaped the careers of many cricketers over the years as personal mentors. He played an important role in reviving former wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik’s career, while he was recently part of Rohit Sharma’s inspiring weight loss journey.
He had also received praise from Indian batsman KL Rahul for shaping his development as a white-ball cricketer during their time in the Indian side, as well as during his years in domestic cricket.
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Abhishek Nayar named new head coach of Kolkata Knight Riders
Former Mumbai all-rounder Abhishek Nayar has been appointed as the new head coach of IPL 2024 champions Kolkata Knight Riders. He replaces former coach Chandrakant Pandit after KKR failed to qualify for the IPL 2025 playoffs.
Nayar was dismissed from his Indian support staff duties earlier this year, and KKR’s announcement is expected to come soon, after the decision was likely made last week itself, according to The Indian Express.
The 42-year-old has previously worked for the Kolkata Knight Riders on several occasions. He will join mentor Dwayne Bravo for the upcoming season.
Abhishek Nayar named head coach of Kolkata Knight Riders@pdevendra https://t.co/63PNBduD39
– Express Sports (@IExpressSports) October 26, 2025
Abhishek Nayar takes over as head coach of WPL franchise
After being snubbed from the Indian national cricket team by the BCCI after their review meeting earlier, which terminated the contract of the support staff hand-picked by head coach Gautam Gambhir himself, he immediately took up a role with the Women’s Premier League giants.
He replaced former coach Jon Lewis and set out his views immediately after his appointment. The Warriorz have not been promising in the three seasons of the WPL and as a result, Nayar had focused his mentality on building a strong team and establishing a winning mindset.
“The opportunity is to create a culture where everyone understands that this franchise plays to win trophies, and to try to introduce that mentality into our ecosystem,” he said. It will be interesting to see if he continues in both roles or if he sides with the IPL rather than the WPL position.
Just days after Abhishek Nayar was snubbed from his role in the Indian team by the BCCI, he returned to be named by the Kolkata Knight Riders. Interestingly, his return to KKR surfaced even before his exit from the Indian team.
During this return to KKR, Nayar had expressed his deep attachment to the franchise and his esteem for the team, which marked such a rapid return for him. He had then said that KKR was like family to him, and the speed with which he returned to the team was testament to that.
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