Abhishek Nayar Appointed as Kolkata Knight Rider's New Head Coach After Chandrakant Pandit Resigns: Reports

The mini-auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is expected to take place between December 13th and 15th. Prior to the mini-auction, all 10 teams must submit their retention lists by November 15th. There are also changes within the support staff ahead of the IPL. Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was appointed strategic advisor by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Sairaj Bahutule became the spin bowling coach of Punjab Kings (PBKS).

Now, Shah Rukh Khan-co-owned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has also seen a major change. Abhishek Nayar, who has played for Team India, will become the team's head coach. Nair will replace former wicketkeeper Chandrakant Pandit, who decided to step down as coach after the team's poor performance in IPL 2025. According to the Indian Express, Nair was informed of this decision last week. An official announcement from KKR is expected soon.

When Abhishek Nair was removed from his position as assistant coach of the Indian team last year, KKR added him to their support staff. Nair had previously worked with KKR. He has a good rapport with current Team India coach Gautam Gambhir and legendary batsman Rohit Sharma. When KKR won the IPL 2024 title, Gambhir was the team's mentor, and Nair served as assistant coach.

🚨 ABHISHEK NAYAR - THE NEW HEAD COACH OF KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS 🚨 [Devendra Pandey from Express Sports] pic.twitter.com/2QS6C7Hxtd

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 26, 2025

Gambhir and Nair subsequently worked together with Team India. Abhishek Nair is credited with improving Rohit Sharma's fitness. Rohit trained rigorously with Nair before the ODI series against Australia, losing approximately 11 kg. Nair is known for his ability to scout players and enhance their performance. Nair has played a key role in improving the fitness and performance of several other players, including Rohit.

This also includes KL Rahul's name. Abhishek Nayar's appointment as head coach is no surprise, as he has been making waves in the coaching world for the past several years. Nair also served as head coach of the Women's Premier League (WPL) team UP Warriors this year. It remains to be seen whether he will continue to serve as head coach of two different teams in two different leagues.

The 42-year-old Abhishek Nayar has played only three One Day Internationals for the Indian team. Overall, Nair has played 103 first-class matches, 99 List A matches, and 95 T20 matches, scoring 5749, 2145, and 1291 runs, respectively.

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