Ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have hired former India pacer Bharat Arun as their bowling coach. Following his time with the Kolkata Knight Riders, the seasoned player has been welcomed by LSG, one of the newest teams in the super league. After serving with the three-time champions for four years, Arun will now go to LSG to lead them on their first title chase.
Zaheer Khan is already a part of the Lucknow-based franchise, but he serves as a mentor. Given that Dwayne Bravo, a T20 specialist, is already a member of the team, the reason for his departure from KKR is not shocking. Like Zaheer, Bravo serves as a mentor to the Knight Riders and is now expected to fulfil two roles.
Bharat Arun was probably brought in as a cover, though, because Zaheer had only been with the team for a year.
Bharat Arun would want to lead Rishabh Pant and his team to a successful 2026 campaign now that the chance of Arun joining the five-time champion Chennai Super Kings has been ruled out, at least for the time being. Now that he has left KKR, Arun will contribute nearly ten years of expertise leading elite teams and international teams to success.
Knight Riders will probably restructure their coaching staff.
There are other members of the coaching staff departing KKR besides the Vijaywada native. In 2025, the team captained by Ajinkya Rahane also said goodbye to its long-time head coach, Chandrakant Pandit. According to the franchise, Pandit left with the goal of looking for possibilities elsewhere, and they both agreed to part ways amicably. In contrast to Arun, it is unknown if Pandit has partnered with any other IPL team. However, given that he has led teams like KKR, Vidarbha, MP, and Mumbai to numerous championship victories over the past ten or so years, he will be a popular choice for any club.
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