Abhishek Nayar will be unveiled as Kolkata Knight Riders’ new head coach in the coming weeks, filling the vacancy left by Chandrakant Pandit after a three-season stint that included the 2024 title. The promotion, confirmed to this publication by franchise insiders on Thursday, marks a natural step up for the 42-year-old, who served as Pandit’s assistant during the 2025 campaign.
First things first: the move ends a short but telling search. Knight Riders’ hierarchy wanted continuity, and Nayar already knows the dressing-room rhythms, the academy set-up and, crucially, the players who under-performed in last season’s eighth-place finish.
Nayar’s coaching résumé has grown rapidly since he retired as a bustling Mumbai all-rounder in 2019. He ran the KKR academy from 2018, guided Trinbago Knight Riders in the 2022 CPL, and most recently accepted the head-coach role with UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League. A year on India’s national staff alongside Gautam Gambhir – cut short after a BCCI review – added an international layer to his credentials.
Pandit’s departure, by contrast, drew a respectful line under a roller-coaster tenure. The 2024 title broke a decade-long drought, yet five wins from 14 in 2025 forced a rethink. Pandit has already resurfaced in Indore as Madhya Pradesh’s director of cricket, a post that suits his hands-on style.
Work remains behind the scenes. Bowling consultant Bharat Arun and spin mentor Carl Crowe have shifted to Lucknow Super Giants, so replacements are on the shopping list well before the February auction. One senior official said privately, “We’ve been clear that the back-room shake-up won’t stop with the head coach.” The franchise declined to comment on potential candidates, but a decision is expected before Christmas.
For Nayar, the first challenge is the playing group. Several senior domestic names stagnated last season, and the overseas contingent felt disjointed. In a podcast recorded last winter, Nayar noted, “Good coaching is mostly about honest conversations – if you get those right, results follow.” That philosophy will be tested quickly.
The upside? He enjoys a solid rapport with captain Ajinkya Rahane and, by extension, with the younger batters who lean on Rahane for technical guidance. If Knight Riders can plug obvious bowling gaps and recapture the clarity that underpinned their 2024 surge, a mid-table rebuild is not out of reach.
Knight Riders plan to introduce Nayar formally once paperwork is complete. Until then, scouting meetings and data reviews continue remotely, a reminder that IPL preparation rarely pauses.
More to follow as staffing decisions unfold.
