Kolkata Knight Riders name Abhishek Nayar as head coach ahead of IPL 2026
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Kolkata Knight Riders name Abhishek Nayar as head coach ahead of IPL 2026")
Abhishek Nayar with KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane Photograph: (KKR)
KKR CEO Venky Mysore praised Nayar’s appointment, saying his strong connection with the players and deep understanding of the game have helped the team’s progress.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) officially named former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar as their new head coach on Thursday (Oct 30) ahead of the upcoming IPL season. Nayar replaces Chandrakant Pandit, who parted ways with the franchise after the IPL 2025 season. The former Mumbai all-rounder first joined KKR in 2018 as the head of the KKR Academy in Mumbai, where he trained several young players and built strong ties with star players like Rinku Singh and Varun Chakaravarthy, who still praise him for his mentorship.
Abhishek Nayar was also a part of Chandrakant Pandit’s support staff that helped the team to win the IPL 2024 title, their third trophy.
When Gautam Gambhir was appointed India’s head coach, he also brought Nayar and fielding coach Ryan ten Doeschate with him as assistant coaches. However, Nayar was removed from the national supports staff earlier this year after India’s poor performance in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Sitanshu Kotak has replaced him as India’s new batting coach.
Although Nayar doesn’t have major achievements as a coach yet, but he has worked closely with top players like Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Dinesh Karthik, all of them credited him for helping them to overcome the tough phases in their careers. After leaving the Team India job, Nayar returned to KKR and also worked as the head coach of UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League last season.
KKR CEO Venky Mysore praised Nayar’s appointment, saying his strong connection with the players and deep understanding of the game have helped the team’s progress.
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"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," said Mysore.
As a player, Nayar featured in 60 IPL matches from 2008 to 2014 for Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, Pune Warriors India and Rajasthan Royals. He also represented India in three ODIs in 2009.
