Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Thursday announced Abhishek Nayar as the team’s new head coach ahead of the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Nayar, who was the team’s assistant coach in the previous edition, has replaced Chandrakant Pandit, who coached the team for three seasons. Earlier in the day, IANS reported that Nayar had completed the necessary paperwork to join the Kolkata-based franchise. Before being appointed KKR’s head coach, Nayar was named UP Warriorz’s head coach for the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL). He will now have to perform double duty and faces a major task, with the WPL mega auction and the IPL mini auction approaching.

KKR made the announcement on their social media handles on Thursday, sharing a picture of Nayar and welcoming him to the new role. Captioning the picture, the franchise wrote, “A new dawn is upon us.”

“Abhishek has been a vital part of the Knight Riders setup since 2018, shaping our players both on and off the field. His understanding of the game and connection with players have been key to our growth. We’re thrilled to see him take over as head coach and lead KKR into its next chapter,” KKR CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement.

KKR parted ways with Pandit, ending a three-season association during which the team secured the IPL title in 2024, breaking a 10-year drought. Following a disappointing IPL 2025 campaign, in which KKR finished eighth with only five wins, a team shake-up led to Pandit’s departure. He has since returned to mentoring Madhya Pradesh in the Indian domestic arena, taking on the role of director of cricket at the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association.

During his time at KKR, Nayar and then-team mentor Gautam Gambhir built a solid relationship. When Gambhir became the head coach of the national team, Nayar joined him as an assistant coach. However, less than a year later, his contract was terminated after a BCCI review of the team’s performance, and he rejoined KKR before IPL 2025.

Nayar was a versatile player who spent years with Mumbai and played three ODIs for India in 2009. He has a strong coaching background, having served as lead coach of the KKR academy in 2018 before joining the IPL senior team as an assistant coach. Nayar also has experience coaching franchises outside India, having served as the head coach of Trinbago Knight Riders in the 2022 Caribbean Premier League.