Currently in his second stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Abhishek Nayar is a member of the support staff. This is his second time working for the team. Previously, he was the team’s assistant coach and was instrumental in their victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2024. The Secunderabad native later became Gautam Gambhir’s assistant coach for the Indian squad. However, following an assessment of the team’s poor performance in the Border-Gavaskar series, he was dismissed of his duties in April 2025.
In the latter stages of the 2025 Indian Premier League, Abhishek Nayar rejoined KKR and collaborated with mentor Dwayne Bravo and head coach Chandrakant Pandit.
But Abhishek Nayar is expected to play a different role in the next season of the lucrative league.
Pandit resigned as head coach earlier this year, and KKR has been looking for a replacement. The three-time IPL champions told Abhishek Nayar last week that they wanted him to take Pandit’s place as head coach, according to The Indian Express. An official announcement is anticipated shortly.
2018 saw Abhishek Nayar join the KKR lineup. He was assigned the duty of overseeing the Mumbai-based KKR Academy. He developed strong bonds with KKR players Varun Chakaravarthy and Rinku Singh at the academy, assisting them in developing their abilities. They continue to praise Nayar’s professional contributions.
Abhishek Nayar was hired earlier this year to coach the Women’s Premier League (WPL) team UP Warriorz. It’ll be fascinating to see if he has to quit that position in order to become the head coach of KKR.
The Knights finished at No. 8 in the points standings with five victories and seven losses from 14 games, failing to defend their title in the IPL 2025. They had two washed-out matches. They intend to make a big comeback in the forthcoming season, and Abhishek Nayar might be a key component of that comeback.
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