In an interesting turn of events, Abhishek Nayar has been appointed as the Kolkata Knight Riders head coach ahead of the IPL 2026 season.

He will be taking over from Chandrakant Pandit, who parted ways with the franchise after the completion of IPL 2025.

Abhishek Nayar has been a long-time member of the franchise setup, contributing in multiple capacities such as assistant coach and talent scout.

He played a key role in unearthing promising talents like Rinku Singh and Harshit Rana. A former cricketer himself, Nayar has been credited with reforming players returning to peak form.

Speaking about Nayar’s appointment, Venky Mysore, the CEO of KKR, said: “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,” he added.

He went on to join national team backroom staff along with Indian head coach Gambhir before being relieved of his duties after Champions Trophy win.

Since, then he has returned to KKR and has been also appointed as the head coach of the UP Warriorz in the WPL.

Several reports suggested on October 26 that Abhishek Nayar was set to take over as KKR head coach of the three-times champions.

Venky Mysore said that Nayar’s connection with the players and understanding of the game has been key to the growth of the team. Nayar has played a significant role in shaping many Indian cricketers including Rohit Sharma has been regarded as a key influence in the opener’s transformations and resurgence in form.

The connection, combined with KKR’s recent social media engagement, triggered a massive wave fo speculation that Rohit Sharma might leave Mumbai Indians for the Kolkata franchise.

The sparks first flew when KKR congratulated Rohit Sharma for becoming the World No.1 batter and a fan mischievously asked if the message means Rohit was heading to KKR.

KKR replied, “CONFIRM World No.1 Men’s ODI Batter.” That one-word reply was enough to fuel theories of the biggest IPL trade ever.