Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are reportedly set to appoint Abhishek Nayar as their new head coach ahead of the IPL 2026 season. The former India all-rounder has been a part of KKR’s support staff for several years and played a crucial role as assistant coach during their title-winning campaign in IPL 2024.
Following that success, Abhishek Nayar joined Team India as the assistant coach under Gautam Gambhir. However, his stint was short-lived, as he was relieved of his duties in April 2025 after India’s disappointing performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
According to The Indian Express, KKR management has informed Abhishek Nayar that they want him to replace Chandrakant Pandit, who stepped down as head coach earlier this year. A formal announcement regarding his appointment is expected soon.
“𝑲𝑲𝑹 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒏 𝑵𝒂𝒚𝒂𝒓’𝒔 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔. 𝑯𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒚,” 𝒂 𝑲𝑲𝑹 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒒𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈.
Abhishek Nayar Strong Connection with Players and KKR Academy Roots
Nayar first joined the franchise in 2018 and was tasked with setting up and running the KKR Academy in Mumbai, where he mentored rising stars like Rinku Singh and Varun Chakaravarthy. His guidance and mentorship were widely credited for their growth into key players for the team.
“𝑨𝒃𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒌 𝒔𝒊𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒆. 𝑯𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚,” 𝑹𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒖 𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒉 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘.
In the 2025 season, Nayar worked alongside former head coach Chandrakant Pandit and mentor Dwayne Bravo. Despite their efforts, KKR endured a tough campaign, finishing eighth on the points table with just five wins from 14 matches.
Nayar also served as head coach of the UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) earlier this year. It remains to be seen if he will continue in that role once his elevation at KKR is officially confirmed.
With the franchise now looking to rebuild after a disappointing season, KKR’s management is optimistic that Nayar’s leadership and deep understanding of player dynamics can guide them back to title contention in 2026.
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